Students and school counsellors during the competition.
Doha, Qatar: Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q), a Qatar Foundation partner university, hosted the inaugural Business Innovation Challenge, a two-day competition designed to introduce top high school students and school counsellors to the university’s rigorous Business Administration programme.
The challenge saw 78 students forming 26 teams from 15 public and private high schools across Qatar. The participants tackled a business case that presented a real-world challenge: developing a financially sustainable and operationally practical solution to reduce single-use plastic and paper cups in Qatar.
The student teams worked to devise solutions, and top teams advanced to a final round where they presented their ideas to a panel of judges.
The event underscored the quantitative, analytical approach central to CMU-Q’s Business Administration programme. The degree programme has been offered at CMU-Q since 2004, and graduates are now working across Qatar in leadership roles in government, business and non-profit organisations. Three alumni—all executives at Qatar Investment Authority—served as judges in the final round.
“This weekend, you worked on a business case based on a real-world problem, and this is exactly the type of challenge we present to our students,” said Dean of Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, Michael Trick at the closing ceremony.
“We challenge our students to apply their knowledge, get creative, and find solutions and new ways forward. Today, you have experienced a small taste of what it is like to be a CMU-Q student.”
The challenge was held in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and sponsored by the Commercial Bank of Qatar (CBQ).
“Our partnership with Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar is an important way we provide high school students in Qatar with enriching opportunities that align with our national development goals,” said Director of the Curriculum and Learning Resources Department at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Sarah Al Shraim.
“The Business Innovation Challenge is an opportunity for future leaders to begin thinking about how they personally can contribute to Qatar’s knowledge-based economy.”
“Commercial Bank of Qatar is proud to sponsor an initiative that places education and innovation at the forefront of youth development,” said Executive General Manager, Chief Wholesale and International Banking Officer Fahad Badar.
“Platforms like the Business Innovation Challenge are an investment in the entrepreneurial spirit and intellectual capacity of the next generation of Qatari leaders, which is essential for achieving the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030.”
The three winning teams were from Almaha Academy for Boys, American School of Doha, and Doha College. An additional CBQ Award was presented to a team from Ahmad Bin Hanbal Secondary School for Boys for demonstrating exceptional creativity and potential.
The event was organised by Serkan Akgüç, Associate Teaching Professor of Finance at CMU-Q, and a team of CMU-Q Business Administration faculty, staff and students.
