QSTP sees completion of ‘Tech 4’ facility in Jan ’17

With an occupancy rate of 83% for its Tech 1 and Tech 2 facilities, the Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP) has added Tech 4 to its premises as part of expansion plans, expected to be completed in January 2017, QSTP managing director Hamad al-Kuwari told Gulf Times.  
The QSTP is part of Qatar Foundation Research and Development (QF R&D), and is responsible for commercialisation of technologies from Education City branch campuses or from the private sector, as well as individuals who want to develop their ideas further, al-Kuwari said.
Tech 4, according to al-Kuwari, would be QSTP’s fifth building, in addition to Tech 1, Tech 2, and “the single-user building” of General Electric and the Innovation Centre.
“QSTP’s expansion to Tech 4 would add 6,000sqm to the park’s physical premises. The facility will function like a workshop and was designed for industrial applications, which is different from Tech 1 and Tech 2,” said al-Kuwari yesterday during a tour of the QSTP.
Asked when the QSTP is expecting full occupancy, al-Kuwari said: “There is a lot of interest in technology development within Qatar whether it be in entrepreneurship or innovation, and there have been a lot of entities that have started taking reservations for Tech 4.
“The QSTP has to be dynamic in our growth, as well. So we might reach 100% occupancy at a certain time but with our growth, it is a continuous availability of space. At the same time, like any science park, companies leave and others are added as new tenants.”
Al-Kuwari explained that the QSTP is a free zone that helps licence and establish local and international companies for technology developments in the fields of Information Technology (IT), environment, health sciences, and energy. 
“QSTP also serves as an accelerator and incubator, as well as a facilitator of applied research. We help individuals with ideas through the ‘QSTP Acceleration Programme’ where we already have three cohorts,” he further said.
Al-Kuwari noted that QSTP’s accelerator programme focuses on the development of Qatar’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) sector. He said the first cohort for the accelerator programme attracted 27 applications, while the second and third cohorts received 57 and 103 applications, respectively.
“The fourth cohort reached 269 applications and by the end of August, we will announce the winning teams, and we expect them to start with us in September,” al-Kuwari said.
Only recently, QSTP hosted “Demo Day,” which featured 19 innovative projects in the fields of health, construction, energy, wireless technology, agriculture, education, healthcare, and communications. 
“Demo Day aims to bridge the gap between research innovations and the needs of the market by creating a synergy among entrepreneurs and investors from across various sectors of Qatar’s thriving economy,” he said.