Friday, March 29, 2024 | Ramadan 18, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Shumookh Fund to support scientific research

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Shumookh Industrial Development Fund (SIDF), which is affiliated to Shumookh Investment and Services, the investment arm of the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates – Madayn, signed on Tuesday signed a cooperation programme with Sultan Qaboos University to support scientific research and innovative ideas in SQU and transform them into successful commercial projects with economic returns.


The cooperation program was signed by Hilal bin Hamad Al Hasani, CEO of Madayn and Chairman of Shumookh Industrial Development Fund (SIDF), and Dr. Rahma bint Ibrahim Al Mahrooqi, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Postgraduate Studies and Research at SQU.


Commenting on this agreement, Hilal Al Hasani stated that SIDF and SQU are collaborating to establish a joint framework through which innovative ideas and new research that are conducted by SQU’s students, academics and researchers from various colleges and research centres can be transformed into commercial projects that are economically feasible and able to add value to the market. “Such efforts aim at achieving one of the objectives of SIDF which is to boost industrial development and entrepreneurship awareness through financing industries, building their production capabilities, and creating link between universities, research institutes and manufacturing units to transfer new ideas, business projects and advanced technologies to the industrial sectors,” Al Hasani pointed out.


 On her part, Dr. Rahma Al Mahrooqi said that the programme is derived from SQU’s keenness and constant endeavours to enhance investment in knowledge and employ the qualitative outputs of scientific research, and innovation and intellectual activities that are conducted at the university. “By maximizing the benefits of these activities and transforming them into emerging companies that provide valuable products and services to the market, this will play a role in creating new job opportunities for the youth, accelerating growth and economic diversification, and achieving knowledge-based economy in the country,” Al Mahrooqi said, adding: “This will be done according to clear criteria and mechanism agreed upon under the cooperation programme with SIDF. All the submitted projects will go through several evaluation phases, which include assessment of the project’s scope, preparation of a feasibility study, among other phases, and the final phase will incorporate securing potential investors for each project.”


It should be noted that Shumookh Investment and Services – the investment arm of Madayn – established Shumookh Industrial Development Fund (SIDF) in cooperation with Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) with the aim of investing in companies associated with the industrial cities in the Sultanate. SIDF also aims to achieve the objectives of these companies, enhance their growth ability, and consequently achieve economic returns that contribute in boosting gross domestic product. The Fund invests its capital in these companies using a pre-defined exit strategy for an investment period ranging from four to six years in a variety of opportunities. SIDF complements the efforts of Madayn to develop companies within its industrial cities and achieve its objective in diversifying income sources of the national economy.


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