Qatar Open Innovation (QOI) – the flagship programme of the Qatar Research, Development and Innovation Council (QRDI Council), recently announced its Innovation Opportunities in collaboration with MATAR.

Through Innovation Opportunities, QRDI Council has partnered with MATAR, the Qatar Company for Airports Operation and Management, to explore innovative opportunities for indoor environmental management.

QRDI Council Program Director Haya Al-Ghanim said they are leveraging cutting-edge technology to improve indoor environmental management through this opportunity.

She said that the initiative underscores the QRDI Council’s commitment to fostering innovation, addressing critical challenges, and contributing to the growth and sustainability of Qatar.

According to MATAR Operations and Facilities Management, Senior Vice President Michael McMillan, they are committed to environmental sustainability and to contributing to Qatar National Vision 2030.

As the gateway to the State of Qatar, he said that their goal is to mitigate climate change across their facilities and operations and invest in the latest technological developments that will have a positive impact on business, community and the environment. He said that their partnership with the QRDI Council is a testament towards spearheading their environmental stewardship.

MATAR challenge

The challenge MATAR is presenting is the Indoor Environmental Survey Robot. QRDI and MATAR invite proposals from startups, SMEs and corporations to develop an indoor environmental survey robot capable of monitoring temperature, humidity and air quality in large and complex buildings such as airports, shopping malls and convention centres.

This innovation aims to optimise customer comfort and gather information to enable efforts to reduce electricity usage, hence contributing to the minimisation of its carbon footprint. The deadline to submit proposals is on 6 December 2023.

Qatar Open Innovation programme

The Qatar Open Innovation programme has been the primary platform for startups and innovators to showcase their products and solutions that address the nation’s most pressing challenges in the five national priority areas of energy, health, resource sustainability, society, and digital technology, as outlined in the QRDI Strategy 2030. Future QOI calls will also meet the innovation needs of government entities.

The QOI programme has provided a unique opportunity for innovators to collaborate with leading organisations, industry experts and mentors to develop and scale their ideas.

The programme has previously launched 32 challenge calls in partnership with leading organisations in Qatar, including Aspetar, Matar, GWC, Aspire, Baladna, Sidra, Ooredoo, Es’hailSat, Hassad Food, Kahramaa, Milaha, the Ministry of Labor, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, and the Ministry of Municipality.

To learn more about the challenges that Qatar Open Innovation tackled and to submit your proposals, visit the QRDI Portal.

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