The World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), an initiative of Qatar Foundation (QF), has opened submissions for its latest Accelerator programme.

The submission period for 2019-20 WISE Accelerator will close at 4pm GMT on April 30. Applications can be submitted at www.wise-qatar.org/wise-accelerator.

The WISE Accelerator supports innovative education technology initiatives that show high potential for scalability and positive impact. Each year, members of selected initiatives are chosen to join the one-year programme, which offers tailor-made support to address challenges that hinder their growth and the scaling-up process.

In addition, the WISE Accelerator connects participants to an international network of education stakeholders, creating opportunities to share knowledge and gain the support of potential partners, donors, and investors during international events organised by WISE. Participants will also be paired with mentors who are experts in education and education technology and are leaders in their field.

Lebanon-based initiative ‘Tabshoura in a Box’, which was part of the 2017-18 programme, aims to support children from underprivileged communities by providing access to quality educational content in digital format. Nayla Fahed, its founder and CEO, said, “The WISE Accelerator is not only about accelerating your business; it is mostly about accelerating your mind. You will never think in the same way after a few sessions with your mentor."

‘CamBioScience’, another edtech member of last year’s cohort, uses artificial intelligence to provide personalised learning in the medical field. Co-founder and CEO Chibeza Agley said, "The WISE Accelerator has had a profound effect on the development and scale-up of ‘CamBioScience. As a result of the accelerator, we successfully raised our seed funding round, identified and appointed a key business advisor, explored crucial international markets, and received advice on how to refine our international scale-up strategy.”

A committee comprised of leading experts in education and social entrepreneurship will support the WISE Accelerator team during the selection process, and selected initiatives will be announced in September 2019. The programme will commence at the WISE 2019 Summit to be held in Qatar in November 2019.