A total of 20 Omani innovators representing six emerging businesses made it into the next stage of the full-cycle incubation programme ‘GlassPoint Innovation Spur’, commemorating Global Entrepreneurship Week.

The programme is set to contribute and sustainably drive innovation within Oman’s renewable energy and water management sectors, said a statement from the company.

After a rigorous selection process for more than 140 applicants from across the sultanate, the programme’s steering board comprising GlassPoint Solar, The Research Council (TRC), Innovation Park Muscat (IPM), Public Authority for SME Development (Riyada) and the Fund for Development of Youth Projects (Sharakah), has selected these innovators to participate in the next stage of the programme, the three-month ‘Spur Workout’ phase, it said.

Badar Al Sariri, country director, Oman at GlassPoint, said: “We are committed to spearheading a culture of innovation across Oman. The 20 finalists share our vision in contributing to the sultanate’s efforts to be an epicentre of renewable energy and water management solutions.”

“They were selected based on their original ideas, impact on the community, as well as the business viability and potential of sustainable success in the marketplace,” he added.

The majority of the six finalist business proposals were created by Omani student-led groups from various universities across the Sultanate. They are:
1. Automated Irrigation System: A smart irrigation system for residential and commercial use that saves water by using special sensors to monitor rain, moisture and evaporation levels.
2. Global Reliance Line: Relying on the sun for its energy, this technology treats polluted or contaminated water to drinking water for small-scale residential use.
3. HomTric: This device is built to help consumers monitor and control their domestic energy consumption.
4. Ecotech: A smart greenhouse system that grows plants for domestic use in an air environment without the use of soil or an aggregate medium by using energy and water efficient components.
5. Solid Waste Recycling Unit: This technology recycles waste from sewage treatment plants and turns it into energy and other valuable products, such as methane, fertilizers, industrial ash, and steam.
6. Smart Window: A smart design using passive cooling techniques, sensors, and automatic solar shading controls to provide thermal comfort within the confines of the room.

The ‘GlassPoint Innovation Spur’ provides aspiring Omani innovators with an integrated ecosystem of scientific, technical and business support.

The two-year programme equips participants with valuable skill sets through coaching and mentorship, as they transform their innovations into implementable businesses. The 20 selected innovators will spend the next three months from January 2019 in the ‘Spur Workout’ phase, designed to prepare them for the final pitch by building their full business plan and be eligible to enter the one year ‘Spur Incubation’ phase to establish their invention.

The final three inventions will be awarded a combined total of up to OR45,000 ($116,902.8) in initial seed funding for further development and testing. Upon graduating from the incubation phase, they will be linked to investors for growth and business upscaling, it stated. – TradeArabia News Service