Advertiser retains sole responsibility for content S3ADVERTISEMENT FEATUREVirtually every week, we’re
told about the necessity of
innovation and how it’s the
solution to all our problems
and challenges. Even then,
because we are now so used to
technology, it’s debatable how
often we actually think about
how innovation happens, and
the real impact it has on our
everyday lives.
For some people, however,
making innovation happen is
a way of life. These are the
people who recognize that a
need exists, that it isn’t being
addressed and that they can be
the solution — the change they
want to see happen. In Qatar,
that mindset of can-do and will-
do is growing.
One of the key reasons for
its growth is the support that
the Qatar Science & Technology
Park (QSTP) provides to local
tech startups that spotted a
gap in the market, whether it’s
through facilities, connection
to international innovation
ecosystems, funding or the
availability of seasoned experts
who can help keep an idea on the
road to reality. It’s this support
that has allowed innovations
like Stellic, which started life
as a student project, to reach
the point where it’s being used
in 15 universities across Qatar,
Mexico and the United States.
Three students at Carnegie
Mellon University in Qatar
(CMU-Q) — one of the branch
campuses of top internationaluniversities based at the Qatar
Foundation, where QSTP is also
housed — realized during their
course that they, and students
everywhere, would benefi t from
a one-stop shop for academic
planning, data analytics and
career navigation. Essentially,
they wanted to help students
graduate on time.
Out of this emerged Stellic,
a fully integrated portal that
became a tech business at
QSTP, where the incubation
space, fi nancial backing
and access to expertise and
mentorship that the team
received are cited as critical
factors in its international
success. “Without QSTP
and Qatar Foundation,”
says founder and CEO Sabih
Bin Wasi, “there’s a strong
possibility Stellic would not
exist today.”
The door to impact in the
tech world that QSTP opens
has also been walked through
by Meddy. Qatar has a wealth
of medical practitioners but it
used to be di cult for people to
fi nd the right one for them.
So, a team of four CMU-Q
graduates saw an opportunity
to develop an online platform,
Meddy, to help people make
informed decisions about where
to seek healthcare, based on
knowledge and user reviews
rather than guesswork. Meddy
currently provides information
on over 2,000 doctors
from 250 private clinics,including clinic hours, medical
credentials, languages spoken
and insurance guidance. It’s
made people’s lives easier.
As has Bonocle, albeit in a
di erent way. The digital age
has risked leaving millions of
visually-impaired people feeling
left behind in education, at work
and during social activities. A
team of Qatar-based innovators
wanted to change this.
That’s why they created a
revolutionary, pocket-sized
gadget that enables the visually
impaired to read their emails,
texts and social media feeds onphones and tablets. The size
of a computer mouse, Bonocle
works by transmitting digital
content, via Bluetooth, to a
receiver, which then converts it
into braille.
Devised by three engineers
and incubated at QSTP, the
device is designed so that it
cannot only be used to read
content in real time, but also to
store books in a braille library,
meaning that they can be called
up and read at leisure. As Ramy
Abdulzaher, one of the team
behind the device, explains:
“Bonocle is much more portableand follows a design concept
that integrates the visually-
impaired community into
society, rather than segregating
them into an outlier group.”
Innovation at QSTP is also
helping to keep people safe.
Subol, a Qatari technology
startup, has created the Samam
LP gas detector for homes
and commercial properties,
having conducted research that
suggested that around 35% of
homes in Qatar have su ered
from gas-leakage incidents
caused by human error.
A smart sensor, Samam
is designed to detect these
leaks and, via Bluetooth,
enable the user to close the
regulator valve with an app on
their phone. “Because it falls
under the Internet of Things, it
means users can control their
gas system from outside their
homes, setting their minds at
rest by giving them prompt
notifi cation of any problems
through a secure, reliable
network,” says Saleh Safran,
Subol’s CEO.
“It also has benefi ts for
campers who are using gas,
as some of its functions can
still be used without WiFi
connectivity.”
All these innovators, and the
solutions they have developed,
illustrate exactly how, every day
and in many ways, innovation is
improving people’s lives — and
all it took was the drive and
courage to act on an idea.QSTP PROVIDES
SUPPORT TO
THOSE LOCAL
TECH STARTUPS
THAT SPOTTED
A GAP IN THE
MARKETInnovation
Is for Life
Encouraging an innovation mindset and
seeing ideas through to fruition is central
to the Qatar Science & Technology Park.
Because of that, in Qatar, the attitude of
can-do and will-do is growing.Innovation at QSTP is helping
to keep people safe.For some people
making innovation
happen is a way of life.QSTP’s environment
fosters impact in the
tech world.Untitled-1348 1 28/10/2019 18:02