QSTP upcoming 10th anniversary marks entrepreneurial success
The international technology hub that is the Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP) prepares to celebrate its impressive successes on its first decade of operations.
The free zone and business park is part of Qatar Foundation Research, Development, and Innovation (QF RDI), and takes pride in its achievements in technological innovation, applied research, entrepreneurship, incubation, and commercialisation of state-of-the-art technologies. Over the course of ten years, the QSTP has become a home for 108 companies from all over the world. Together, these businesses from 17 countries have developed goods and services that have met and overcome global challenges in the fast-paced worlds of all kinds of industries. These include Qatari entities like Gulf Organisation Research & Development, Meeza, and Qatar Mobility Innovation Centre, as well as multinational entities like Cisco, Siemens, and ConocoPhillips.
Now more than ever, the QSTP’s shining beacon is its highly innovative Incubation Center, where Qatar-based start-ups are housed for a year in order to help them develop their products or services to fruition, exploring bigger and better opportunities for more and more markets across the globe. Special funding assistance is also offered, as well as real-world insights on tech-based ventures. The learning programmes include everything from development to launch, and over 1,000 aspiring entrepreneurs have benefited from this highly enriching space. For instance, the Mena Dojo helps provide intensive one-on-one mentoring for business hopefuls over a period of six weeks.
“Research, development, and innovation are integral to Qatar’s sustainability and resilience, and it is for this reason it is a priority in the country’s agenda. RDI will play a key role in developing and diversifying the economy as well as enhancing the capacity to create solutions to address national challenges and make global impact. The unique ecosystem we have created here at QSTP encompasses the entire value chain of education, research and development, innovation, and entrepreneurship. QSTP is the place where technology goes to work,” said Yosouf Abdulrahman Saleh, executive director of QSTP. “So much has been achieved over the last 10 years, but this journey has only just begun, and there is still so much more to come. We are looking forward to seeing what the next decade brings.”
On October 21st, the QSTP will celebrate its 10th anniversary. “These ‘angel’ investors are often the first to back upcoming entrepreneurs with product ideas, and while the investments carry risk, they also offer some of the biggest rewards,” Saleh said.
Exciting times are up ahead, and based on the very positive results of the past ten years, one can only expect bigger and better things to come in the next decade for Qatar as well.
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