University innovation targets investment in Oman

MUSCAT, OCT 7
Oman’s Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority, Riyada, brought together between 150 and 200 participants for a seminar exploring how university research and innovation can be turned into start-ups capable of attracting investment and reaching the market.
The “Entrepreneurship and Startups in the Education Sector” seminar examined opportunities to commercialise scientific research, strengthen the education sector’s contribution to a knowledge-based economy and support economic diversification.
Held in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, the event carried the theme “From Idea to Impact: Building an Entrepreneurship and Startup Ecosystem within a Sustainable University Environment”.
Discussions focused on aligning education and research outputs with market needs and turning knowledge and innovation into commercial opportunities.
Riyada aims to build a more integrated pathway from ideas and research within universities and colleges to company formation, investment, growth and market access. The initiative seeks to help student and research projects develop into viable businesses.
“The seminar represents a pivotal strategic shift in transforming universities from mere centres of knowledge transfer into hubs that turn initiatives into sustainable projects with long-term impact,” said HH Sayyid Nadir bin Nasr al Said, Entrepreneurship Specialist at Riyada.
He said the authority was working with higher education institutions, investors and incubators to harness young people’s potential and generate economic benefits.
Nawf al Wahibi, Innovation Specialist at Riyada, said entrepreneurship centres, incubators and accelerators within academic institutions played an important role in connecting research with the wider business ecosystem.
She said these links could help researchers and university entrepreneurs enter the market more easily.
Riyada supports that process through visits to academic institutions in Oman and abroad to identify best practices, strengthen university entrepreneurship programmes and connect them with the authority’s support services, she added.
Representatives from government bodies, academia, the private sector, investment funds, business incubators and innovation centres attended the seminar. They discussed funding, incubation and partnerships to help university projects move from experimentation and development to commercial activity.
Iman bint Abdullah al Shakili, Acting Director of the Business Incubators and Accelerators Department at the Research and Innovation Authority, said the authority aimed to turn graduation projects and student work into start-ups or tangible products.
She said its work also focused on addressing fundamental problems, including those without an immediately clear commercial pathway.
The seminar examined how educational institutions could generate projects capable of attracting investment by supporting idea incubation, prototype development and closer alignment with market and investor requirements.
Participants highlighted the need to give students and researchers access to funding, mentoring and business support, while strengthening cooperation among universities, government bodies and the private sector.
Such cooperation could help bridge the gap between research outcomes and commercial opportunities, particularly in emerging technologies, the digital economy and knowledge-based enterprises.
Sessions explored how incubators and investment funds could support university start-ups through business development, funding and market entry. Local and international models were presented, including the Middle East College experience.
Discussions also addressed updating curricula, integrating emerging technologies and practical projects into teaching, and equipping students with the entrepreneurial skills needed to launch viable businesses.
Developing these skills alongside a supportive business environment could help a new generation of entrepreneurs establish companies offering products and services with greater added value and compete in local and regional markets.
An accompanying exhibition showcased university incubation models and entrepreneurial projects that originated in Oman’s universities and colleges and subsequently reached the market.
The examples illustrated how university innovation could be developed into commercial activity, extending the benefits of research into business formation, production and expansion.
Riyada said the initiative sought to strengthen the education sector’s contribution to diversification by supporting knowledge- and innovation-driven start-ups, creating jobs, attracting investment and developing competitive local products and services.