Tribune News Network
Doha
The Qatar Research, Development, and Innovation (QRDI) Council has announced that four local companies – Karty LLC, Qatar Navigation QPSC (Milaha), Cytomate, and Syook-- have successfully been awarded Technology Development Grant’s programme.
The Technology Development Grant (TDG) programme is another instrument, from QRDI Council, designed to establish a dynamic R&D ecosystem envisioned in the QRDI 2030 strategy. Seeking to transform Qatar’s innovation landscape, the program aims to increase the level of business R&D in Qatar significantly and incentivize private sector investment in technology development. The program mainly targets for-profit companies operating in Qatar - Small & Medium Enterprises, startups, Large Local Enterprises, and multinational corporations to support their R&D-based product development or process innovation projects.
Projects are funded with grants of up to QR10mn to help companies undertake technology, product, or process development projects that will significantly improve their competitiveness in their target markets. To be eligible for support, all development must be carried out locally, and companies are expected to provide job opportunities for local tech talent for their projects.The grant is running as a pilot and will be expanded more broadly after its soft launch.
“The TDG programme demonstrates QRDI Council’s commitment to driving innovation and technological advancement in Qatar. Through this and other initiatives, we aim to increase the capacity for innovation in the country and raise the capability for R&D in companies operating in Qatar.Over time, we seek to position Qatar as a thriving hub for research, development, and innovation in the Middle East,” said Eng Omar Ali Al-Ansari, Secretary General of the QRDI Council.
