Dedicated to finding the top Arab innovators with creative solutions in the biomedical and information technology spheres, the episodes showcased young people from all over the region vying for a chance to become candidates on the show.
Stars of Science hopefuls tried to persuade an expert jury that they should be shortlisted for the Majlis episode, where nine will be selected to develop their ideas into working prototypes.
On the first casting episode, biomedical innovators exhibited their ideas to a well-established panel of experts led by Stars of Science veteran Prof Fouad Mrad, known as ‘The Instigator.’
The professor leads a United Nations centre dedicated to technology for development in the Middle East.
Joining him was Prof Abdelhamid El-Zoheiry, known as ‘The Collaborator.’
A bridge builder for medical educators around the world, Prof El-Zoheiry brings a keen eye and sharp wit to the jury.
Rounding out the group was Aysha al-Mudahka, CEO of the Qatar Business Incubation Centre.
Aysha, ‘The Catalyst,’ is an expert at identifying and growing startups and is listed as one of the 100 Most Powerful Arab Women by CEO Middle East Magazine.
The first casting episode featured both inspired and novel inventions ranging from infant care to fitness.
Some projects, like Yazi Alalo’s home storage fish safety indicator, earned the praise of jurors.
Taking the unconventional route of pitching with her five month-old baby, Yazi successfully showed how her idea could help reduce food waste, earning her a spot on the shortlist for the upcoming Majlis episode.
The second casting episode aimed to find Arab innovators with information technology projects.
Professor Mrad and Aysha al-Mudahka were joined by ‘The Pioneer’ – Dr Ahmed K Elmagarmid, the executive director of Qatar Computing Research Institute at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar.
Dr Elmagarmid has been at the forefront of computing in the region since the 1970s, and brings experience from Hewlett-Packard and IBM.
Candidates will fiercely compete against each other over the course of two stages of the programme: the prototyping and customer validation rounds.
Over the course of the show, they will be challenged to develop and enhance their projects to benefit communities and generate a global impact.
The four candidates with the most viable projects will then move on to the life-changing finale, where they will earn a share of $600,000 of seed-funding after an online public vote and jury vote.