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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Seven newly incubated Omani start-ups feted

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MUSCAT, DEC 6 - The ‘graduation’ of seven Omani start-ups, newly incubated at facilities run by the National Business Centre (NBC) and Riyada, was celebrated on the 2nd Day of the Incubation conference 2017, which concluded at the Hormuz Grand Hotel yesterday. The graduation took place under the auspices of Dr Ali bin Saud al Bimani, Vice Chancellor of Sultan Qaboos University (SQU). The seven companies are: Al Salama Fire Protection Engineering Consultancy, Four Elements, Majan Health Services, Alfanoos Design, Ecity, Ithbat Development, and Advanced Safety Solution.


Al Salama Fire Protection Engineering Consultancy is specialised in site inspection and supervision, design of fire drawings, and obtaining approvals from civil defence. Four Elements Company aims at providing waste water treatment and environmental solutions. Majan Health Services offers diagnosis, management and prevention of diseases and illness in the workplace, and development and implementation of occupational health solutions and strategies that protect the health of an organisation’s workforce.


Alfanoos Design delivers creative ideas and quality work in varied media, and Ecity Company offers specialised and innovative services in information technology. Ithbat Development provides eLearning solutions by offering online training, and eContent for training and educational development, and design and implementation of LMS (Learning Management Systems). Advanced Safety Solution provides unbiased expert analysis, advice and solutions on a wide range of fire safety issues.


The two-day Incubation Conference 2017 was organised by the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (PEIE), represented by the National Business Centre (NBC). The event gathered experts from across the globe who shared their expertise on the role played by incubation in growing businesses.


The conference was sponsored by several bodies which comprised BP Oman (Platinum Sponsor), Occidental Oman, Fund for Development of Youth Projects — Sharakah, Al Raffd Fund, Shumookh Investment and Services, Oman LNG Development Foundation, Public Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Riyada), SME Development Fund, Al Wisal Radio, and Oman Establishment for Press, Publication and Advertising.


“We believe in the importance of creating a platform for local and international experience exchange in fields of entrepreneurship and SMEs. These enterprises play a great role in promoting the nation’s economy and the In Country Value as well as creating job opportunities,” said Shabib Mohammed al Mamari, BP Oman’s Communications and External Affairs Manager. “Our sponsorship of this conference is a reflection of our endeavour to integrate the efforts of public and private institutions to empower the youth and support SMEs through our Social Investment Programme,” Al Mamari added.


Delivering the keynote speech, Dr Choi, Jong-In (pictured), Professor and Vice-President of Strategy and Planning at Hanbat National University, underscored the topic of incubation management and Science and Technology Parks (STP). Jong elaborated on the main concepts that entrepreneurs should concentrate on from his point of view, which include capability-products-market (CPM), technology-products-market linkages (TPM), and ideas-needs-capabilities (INC model).


Jong also commented that entrepreneurs need to focus on strategy, capability, team work and motivation in order to succeed. “One needs to also concentrate on technology and market sides,” he emphasised. Jong mentioned the sources of technological learning in Korea, as he said, “These sources include international sources and domestic sources. The international sources involve equipment embodied, human embodied, printed info, foreign suppliers, and foreign buyers. On the other hand, the domestic sources of technological learning comprise universities, research institutes, other firms, and other support systems.”


He noted that Innopolis Daedeok in Korea is where 12 per cent the R&D spending and 11.8 per cent of the PhD level researchers in Korea are concentrated, thus giving the zone the best research capabilities in the country. “Innopolis Daedeok is moving forward to become a global centre that turns new technologies into successful businesses,” he pointed out.


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