Doha, April 27 (QNA) - Qatar University (QU), in partnership with Qatar Development Bank (QDB), concluded the National Entrepreneurship Competition (AL-Fikra) for Higher Education 2025.

The event was organized and overseen by the Center for Entrepreneurship at the College of Business and Economics, with support from other entities. Several dignitaries and representatives attended the event.

The competition aims to empower university students in Qatar to develop innovative entrepreneurial ideas and transform them into scalable startup projects, thereby contributing to the advancement of the national entrepreneurship ecosystem and fostering a culture of innovation aligned with the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030. The competition is considered a prestigious annual platform for discovering and guiding creative talents to serve the national economy.

In his speech during the closing ceremony, Vice President for Academic Affairs at QU, Prof. Ibrahim Al Kaabi, stated, "Al-Fikra, The National Entrepreneurship Competition, is more than just a business competition; it is an inspiring space to uncover students’ capabilities in innovative thinking and in developing viable, applicable solutions. Our goal through this competition is to discover and support the entrepreneurial potential of university students in Qatar by providing a nurturing environment to transform ideas into scalable startups that contribute to building a sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem in the country.”

He added, “At QU, we believe that entrepreneurship is built upon inspiring creative thinking and empowering minds to innovate solutions that contribute to shaping a better future. We call for the continuation of this fruitful collaboration with our partners at QDB.”

At the conclusion of his remarks, Prof. Al Kaabi expressed his deep gratitude to the partners at QDB for their strategic support, which played an effective role in shaping and achieving the program’s objectives.

Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at the College of Business and Economics at QU, Dr. Khalid Al Hashmi, also expressed his pride in the continued partnership, saying, “We are proud to continue our collaboration with QDB in this edition of the Al-Fikra National Entrepreneurship Competition for Higher Education 2025. This initiative offers a unique opportunity to foster the spirit of entrepreneurship among students at national universities. It is not just a platform for developing innovative business ideas but a launchpad for a new generation of leaders and change-makers.

Commenting on the conclusion of the competition, QDB’s Vice President of Enterprise Development and Executive Director of Qatar Exports, Khalid Abdulla Al Mana, stated, "QDB remains steadfast in its commitment to fostering innovation and supporting the development of entrepreneurial ventures, as well as startups and SMEs, in alignment with Qatar’s Third National Development Strategy.”

The competition witnessed the participation of many student teams from various universities across Qatar. The committee received 409 applications from eight universities, representing 117 teams. Of these, 141 applications were accepted to compete in the final rounds.

The winning teams were announced and recognized for presenting outstanding and promising ideas with potential impact across diverse economic and social sectors.

The 'Noor' project from QU claimed first place with a prize of QR 20,000. The 'GloVoice' project, also from QU, secured second place with a prize of QR15,000, while the 'Stay Mobile' project from the University of Doha for Science and Technology (UDST) achieved third place with a prize of QR 10,000. (QNA)