Doha, January 28 (QNA) - The Qatar Research, Development, and Innovation (QRDI) Council announces the four local companies successfully awarded the grant's program: Karty LLC, Qatar Navigation (Milaha), Cytomate, and Syook.

The Technology Development Grant (TDG) program is another instrument, from QRDI Council, designed to establish a dynamic R&D ecosystem envisioned in the QRDI 2030 strategy. The grant is running as a pilot and will be expanded more broadly after its soft launch.

Seeking to transform Qatar's innovation landscape, the program aims to increase the level of business R&D in Qatar significantly and incentivize private sector investment in technology development. The program mainly targets for-profit companies operating in Qatar - Small & Medium Enterprises, startups, Large Local Enterprises, and multinational corporations to support their R&D-based product development or process innovation projects.

Projects are funded with grants of up to QR 10 million to help companies undertake technology, product, or process development projects that will significantly improve their competitiveness in their target markets. To be eligible for support, all development must be carried out locally, and companies are expected to provide job opportunities for local tech talent for their projects.

"The TDG program demonstrates QRDI Council's commitment to driving innovation and technological advancement in Qatar. Through this and other initiatives, we aim to increase the capacity for innovation in the country and raise the capability for R&D in companies operating in Qatar. Over time, we seek to position Qatar as a thriving hub for research, development, and innovation in the Middle East," said Secretary General of the QRDI Council Eng. Omar Ali Al Ansari.

Karty LLC Co-Founder and CEO Mohammed Suleiman said: "The assistance from QRDI Council is invaluable, offering tangible and intangible support. We are profoundly thankful for this endorsement and backing afforded to homegrown talent, fostering our development and competitive edge. Such support is critical for startups like KARTY as it helps us develop excellence to compete at the regional stage and globally." Commenting on the award, Cytomate's CEO Hammad Saleh Hadeed said: "With QRDI Council's support, we can expand our research capabilities to develop cutting-edge cybersecurity solutions for operational technology (OT) environments and explore new areas previously beyond our reach." Syook CEO Arjun Nagarajan said: "We at Syook are immensely thankful to the QRDI Council for awarding us the Technology Development Grant. This grant will help to significantly accelerate our journey towards innovations in the realm of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). As part of this initiative, our focus will be to substantially enhance safety and operational efficiency in Industrial environments. This opportunity enables us to broaden our technological horizons to enhance the safety of Industrial operations, not just in Qatar but globally." (QNA)