SC picks 28 finalists for Challenge 22 competition

The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) has announced 28 finalists, including eight from Qatar, who have been picked for the final round of Challenge 22, after an extensive review process for the regional innovation award. Challenge 22 competition was launched by the SC to promote a culture of innovation within the Arab world, helping innovators and entrepreneurs to nurture ideas that could potentially serve as innovative solutions for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar. Among the other finalists, five are from Jordan, four from Saudi Arabia, three from Egypt, two each from Oman, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates, while one each is from Kuwait and Morocco. In its second cycle, Challenge 22 reached out to innovators and entrepreneurs in 10 Arab countries to submit their ideas in four categories: Tourism Experience, which received 308 submissions; the Internet of Things, with 269 submissions; Sustainability, with 217 submissions; and the Health and Safety Challenge, which received 143 submissions in the first round. Of the total submissions, 12 from Internet of Things, seven from Sustainability, six from Tourism Experience, and three from Health & Safety, have been selected for the final round.Fatma al-Nuaimi, communications director at the SC, said: “The final event is designed to be a simulation for the real entrepreneurial world, where they will have to work in a very competitive environment to finalise their proposals before presenting it to the judging panel.” Those selected will travel to Doha to take part in the final event from May 20 to 22, when they are to present their proposals to the judging panel. During their stay they will be given access to interactive training, as well as a series of workshops in preparation of their final presentation.  “Together with our partners and through Challenge 22, we aim to provide regional entrepreneurs a platform that supports them and will show the world the potential of Arab minds and their ability to contribute to the region’s development,” al-Nuaimi added.During the second round, the 76 semi-finalists had access to the Challenge 22 network of mentors, along with two training workshops provided by programme partner AstroLabs, in order to help develop their proposals for further review. Challenge 22’s second cycle was launched in co-operation with the SC’s strategic partners Qatar National Research Fund, Wamda, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Enterprise Forum Pan-Arab, and Facebook, as well as Programme Partners in the form of Qatar Science and Technology Park, Qatar Business Incubation Center, Qatar Mobility Innovations Center, Qatar Airways, AstroLabs and FbStart, along with more than 32 regional partners.The winners of Challenge 22 cycle two will be announced in September as part of Summit 22, which will bring together regional and international innovators and entrepreneurs to share and discuss their experiences. Winning teams or individuals will receive $15,000 in cash prizes and given the opportunity to work with scientists and researchers in the region to begin turning their ideas into reality. There will also be an opportunity for winners to receive a grant of up to $100,000 to develop a proof of concept and explore the commercial viability of the product. Through FbStart, winners with app-based ideas will gain access to mentoring and the tools needed to build up their iOS or Android based apps. Facebook will also be offering up to $80,000 in free tools and services, while FbStart will provide year-round mentoring opportunities and direct contact with the Facebook team as well as access to an exclusive community of global start-ups to the winning teams.