Arab Innovators Send More Than 900 Proposals to Challenge 22

The second edition of Challenge 22 has seen great demand as more than 900 proposals were sent from 10 Arab countries.
Innovators and entrepreneurs from Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar topped the list of applicants with 236, 232 and 116 submissions respectively made to the innovation award launched by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC).
The initiative aims to attract innovators and entrepreneurs to support and nurture ideas which could potentially serve as innovative solutions for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar, along with organizing major events and creating a sustainable impact on Arab societies.
Innovators from Morocco were fourth on the list with 87 applications, followed by 79 submissions from Jordan, 52 from Tunisia, 49 from UAE, 33 from Oman, 29 from Bahrain, and 24 from Kuwait.
Of the four challenges, Tourism Experience received the most submissions with the total of 308, followed by The Internet of Things with 269 submissions, Sustainability with 217 submissions and Health & Safety with 143 submissions.
Commenting on the participation level this year, Challenge 22 Project Manager Ahsan Mansoor said: "We are delighted that innovators from across 10 Arab countries have so actively participated and submitted so many applications. This says a lot about the strong impulse for innovation in the region, and gives us a good idea what kind of issues they are interested in." He added that they will announce next week the teams that have moved to the second round. "Proposals are being reviewed by appropriate reviewers in the subject matter of the submission. The reviewers list includes experts and executives from Challenge 22’s network of strategic and programme partners," he added.
Teams have a deadline on 7 March to polish their proposals before submitting for the second round of reviews, after which the finalists will be announced. Finalists will then be invited to Doha to present their ideas and proposals to a panel of judges who will select the final winners. During round two submissions, teams will have access to experts and mentors who will guide teams on how to further perfect their proposals for the next round of review.
Challenge 22’s second edition was launched in cooperation with SC’s strategic partners; Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF), Wamda, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Enterprise Forum (MITEF) Pan-Arab, and Facebook, as well as the Programme Partners, Qatar Science and Technology Park, Qatar Business Incubation Center, Qatar Development Bank, Qatar Airways, AstroLabs and FbStart along with more than 20 regional partners. (QNA)