Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser with current students of the Qatar Foundation Young Innovators Programme at WISE 2015. The programme strives to support exceptional young Arab men and women, who may not otherwise have the opportunity to develop their talents. Through the provision of scholarships and mentorship, it encourages gifted youth to reach their full potential. Ahmed Mohamed (third from right) is the latest student to be admitted to the programme. Picture: AR al-Baker/HHOPL

The Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF) showcased its Young Innovators Programme during the 7th annual World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) on Thursday, highlighting how the programme is attracting bright young minds and talent from around the region.

QF president and senior engineer Saad al-Muhannadi was joined by the latest addition to the Young Innovators Programme, Ahmed Mohamed, the 14-year old clock-making teenager from Texas, US, at a briefing on Thursday.

“The Young Innovators Programme is a specially designed grassroots initiative, which recognises that a nation’s greatest asset is its people," al-Muhannadi said.

“Qatar Foundation has successfully created an academic environment that engages students at every stage of their academic lives. The Young Innovators Programme gives students the opportunity to study at one of QF’s state-of-the-art secondary schools and partner universities, and to take advantage of its world-class education system.”

Ahmed Awad Zayed is 14 years old, and a student in the Young Innovators Programme. Born and raised in Gaza, Ahmed’s family first became aware of his intellect when he started speaking at nine months old.

After being filmed speaking on the rough conditions of the war, footage of which went ‘viral’ on the internet, he was invited to meet HH the Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and QF chairperson HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser.

Ahmed, in Qatar since 2009, is currently studying at Qatar Academy. “I like this country a lot. I also really enjoy my school. It’s a great school, it follows the International Baccalaureate system. It has opened up a lot of opportunities for me, to improve my education.”

Also part of the Young Innovators Programme is Abdulaziz al-Marri, a 13-year-old national, also studying at Qatar Academy. “I have been given many opportunities since I started studying at Qatar Academy. I have been able to visit many countries such as Malaysia, Turkey, and Switzerland."

There are also a number of distinguished alumni of the Young Innovators Programme, including Raji al-Hammori who was born with a disability that severely restricts his physical movement.

He studied at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q), and is now pursuing a career at MIT in the US in computing research.

Palestinian Iqbal al-Assaad, who became the youngest ever medical graduate from Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar in 2013, is completing her medical residency in Cleveland, US.

To qualify for the Young Innovators Programme, potential students need to be citizens of an Arab country, or have at least one parent originating from an Arab country. An admissions committee considers and evaluates all candidates, as well as monitors the progress of all selected Young Innovators during the course of their study, providing support as necessary.