HBKU Innovation Center Honors REYADA Cycle 3 Participants

Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU) Innovation Center (IC), part of the Office of Innovation and Industrial Relations (OIIR), hosted the graduation ceremony for Cycle 3 of the REYADA program, celebrating 17 projects led by promising entrepreneurs within the Qatar Foundation (QF) community.

Run in partnership with Qatar Development Bank, REYADA is an 18-month entrepreneurial development initiative designed to help business-minded individuals based in QF realize their potential and transform their ideas into viable business ventures. Participants attended capacity-building workshops and received tailored mentorship as they refined their technologies and skills before applying to the REYADA Program Fund, a kickstarter funding grant awarded to the top 3 participating projects to support their innovative business plans.

The 17 projects address topics across QF’s five focus areas: Precision Health, Artificial Intelligence, Progressive Education, Sustainability, and Social Progress. This year’s group included members from across HBKU’s colleges and research institutes, as well as Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar.

Commenting on the success of Cycle 3, Nada Al Balam, Acting Director, IC, said: “REYADA exemplifies our joint support of advancing innovation and entrepreneurial growth in line with national goals outlined in Qatar National Vision 2030. It also demonstrates how the Innovation Center collaborates with partners to develop and implement strategies that facilitate a healthy knowledge and technology transfer between academia, industry, and government.”

The IC conferred awards to the top three highest-performing participants, recognizing their dedication to their entrepreneurial journeys:

Further information regarding the HBKU Reyada Program and its application process can be found here.