Doha: Ibtechar, Qatar’s leading innovation solutions provider, recently hosted a roundtable session aimed at bringing together experts within the business and technology sectors, to discuss innovation spaces and how they contribute to the building of a knowledge-based economy, in line with Qatar National Vision (QNV) 2030.
CEO and Co-founder of Ibtechar Nayef Al Ibrahim moderated the session, which convened representatives from Alurays Middle East, Qatar’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), and Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP).
“Innovation spaces can play a pivotal role in facilitating research, supporting collaboration, and fueling creativity to transform novel ideas into tangible products and services. As Qatar endeavors to fulfill its aspirations, as detailed under the Qatar National Vision 2030, spaces like these become increasingly essential to advance innovation and enable the creation of a knowledge-based economy,” said Al Ibrahim.
Innovation spaces can help provide increased access to vital equipment for students looking to test their innovative ideas, noted Dr. Aiman Erbad, Associate Professor and Head of Information and Computing Technology at the College of Science and Engineering at HBKU, and one of the panelists of the roundtable.
Eman Al Kuwari, Acting Head of Emerging Technology, Programmer, and Analyst at MCIT, shone a light on the benefits of innovation spaces in connecting entrepreneurs to the business community. “Qatar’s stimulating business ecosystem continues to drive entrepreneurs to bring innovative solutions to the market. We have to now look at enriching this ecosystem to further empower entrepreneurs and support them in their innovation journey.”
Speaking about product development, Hayfa Al Abdulla, Innovation Director at QSTP said: “Innovation spaces go a long way to addressing this need, by allowing innovators to put their ideas to the test in an environment that is fully equipped with what they need. As the private sector makes strides in this area, I am very optimistic with regards to how things will evolve in the near future. The more successful stories we have, the more people actually recognise the value of such environments".
