A team from Hamad bin Khalifa University's (HBKU) College of Science and Engineering (CSE) clinched first place in the senior track at the Al Fikra National Entrepreneurship Competition this year.

The award-winning team, led by Dr. Adel Elomri, Assistant Professor, CSE, included two postdoctoral researchers, Dr. Majed Khaled Hadid and Dr. Regina Padmanabhan, along with PhD student Yousra Alaoui. They were recognized for developing Hematoscreen, an innovative diagnostic solution for blood cancer. This project is part of the broader NPRP12 initiative, which aims to enhance cancer care delivery in Qatar through operations management, predictive models, and optimized care pathways for patients with hematological malignancies.

Organized by Qatar Development Bank and Qatar University, Al Fikra is a national entrepreneurship competition designed for higher education-led start-up teams to develop their entrepreneurial skills and participate in successful private value-adding businesses.