Several projects that were devised within Qatar Foundation (QF) and won the Challenge 22 awards will be taken up for the next phase of development.
According to Telegraph, Qatar Foundation’s fortnightly newspaper, Challenge 22 has selected six ideas to receive expert mentoring and to be taken to the prototype stage, and be showcased internationally. Three of them are innovations from QF.
Challenge 22 was launched by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy in January 2015, with Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF), a research funding entity under QF, as a strategic partner.
“With the potential for global impact through the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the winning projects will be taken to the next phase of development, supported by QF,” the paper said.
Challenge 22, an annual award programme, is designed to ensure that the global sporting showpiece creates a lasting legacy for Qatar and the region by inspiring and challenging innovators to explore ways of enhancing the tournament and other major global events, while intensifying a culture of discovery, economic diversification, and entrepreneurship.
Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP), Qatar Computing Research Institute( QCRI), Qatar Environment & Energy Research Institute, all research and development entities under QF  and the World Innovation Summit for Health, a QF initiative, support the award through their expertise, networks, and facilities, as challenge partners.
The winning innovations from Qatar Foundation include FitPet, a health promotion app developed by Dr Ingmar Weber, Senior Scientist, Social Computing, QCRI, and Dr Yelena Mejova, Scientist, Social Computing, QCRI, alongside two partners from iLoveQatar.net.
Dr Khaled Saoud, assistant professor of physics, Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar, won for his submission, ‘Scalable Synthesis of Expanded Polystyrene’, outlining a scientific method for improving the sustainability of stadia.
Meanwhile, a team from Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, led by Dr Maher Hakim, associate professor, was among the winners after unveiling ‘Tamm’, a platform to improve the tournament experience for fans, by connecting visitors with volunteer residents.
“Challenge 22 has “recognised emerging talents that we hope will inspire the next generation of innovators from the Middle East”, said Hamad al-Kuwari, managing director, QSTP.
“Throughout the second phase of the award, QSTP will be providing guidance, house mentoring sessions, and workshops, in addition to offering year-long accelerator programmes for the winning ideas. We look forward to working with the winners in phase two of the project that will bring their innovative ideas to life.”