A total of 15 teams, made up of participants from across the Sultanate will be competing in Manafa’a 2019, the Oman Animal and Plant Genetic Resources Centre’s popular annual ideathon. Taking place over the weekend of September 27 and 28, the event will give the would-be eco-entrepreneurs a chance to build their genetic-resources-based business ideas under the guidance of expert mentors and business professionals from leading institutions and organisations across Oman.
Ensuring the teams have the necessary background knowledge to make the most of the demanding two-days of Manafa’a, OAPGRC held an intensive pre-ideathon one-day workshop with an agenda that covered topics intellectual property and innovation protection, product development and prototyping, and start-up marketing.
Speaking at the workshop, OAPGRC Executive Director Dr Nadiya al Saady said: “The Manafa’a organising team is already impressed by the attitudes and enthusiasm of the teams and how receptive they were to the complex subjects presented to them today. We’re all very much looking forward to seeing them develop their innovative ideas during Manafa’a itself and excited to see exactly how they use Oman’s wonderful biodiversity as the basis for their business ventures.”
“I should like to add that while Manafa’a is certainly a fun event and a great learning experience, its goals are very serious. We want to encourage responsible use of Oman’s genetic resources — our plants, animals, marine life and microbial world — to create value for society, contribute to the diversification of the economy, and promote informed discussion, understanding, experimentation and investment in the Sultanate’s biodiversity start-up space.
Indeed, through this event, we hope to open up the eyes of many other innovators and entrepreneurs to the rich potential our incredible natural assets hold”, she added. Held at the Grand Millennium Muscat, the Manafa’a Ideathon is expected to culminate in team presentations to a panel of specially selected judges drawn from the public and private sectors as well as enterprise and academia. The four winning teams will be announced on October 1 at a ceremony at the Oil and Gas Institute.
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