Muscat: The Oman Innovation Festival 2024, which attracted over 50,000 visitors over six days drew to a close at the Innovation Complex in Muscat on Saturday.
The festival showcased over 50 scientific and entertainment events catering to diverse segments of society. Over 35 government and private institutions took part in the festival. Over 400 people attended the Innovation and Knowledge Economy Forum, while 85 took part in the Energy Hackathon. Over 1,000 people underwent training courses and took part in interactive workshops.
The closing ceremony was held under the auspices of Dr Saif bin Abdullah al Haddabi, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation for Research and Innovation.
In the Energy Hackathon, Team Stellar from the Sultanate of Oman clinched the first position for their pioneering project on a self-cleaning solar panel system. Team EcoSat from the United Arab Emirates secured the second spot for measuring air pollution emissions. Team Carbo-EcoGen System from Oman and Qatar shared the third position with their device to reduce carbon emissions and recycling organic waste.
In the innovation competition for governorates, Al Sharqiyah South was the winner, followed by Al Sharqiyah North and Al Dhahirah in second and third places.
In the 'Together We Innovate' competition, the "Virtual Science Lab" project by Khalsah bint Hamad al Bahriya won first place. The 'Leap' won as the best project in tourism, the 'Eternal Days' in education, the 'Cunning Rabbit and Fox Algorithm to Counter Cybersecurity Attacks' in logistics, 'NC-Soil' project in food security, the 'Nadeem' in health, and the 'Environmentally Friendly Bags' in energy.
Ibrahim bin Ahmed al Balushi, the festival director, highlighted the importance of providing a space for innovation that brings together innovators from government, private sector, and civil society, noting the importance of discussing challenges and working on an executable plan to address them.
The festival featured many pavilions on innovations, workshops, and training courses, benefiting more than 1,500 individuals. Opportunities were provided for startup companies to showcase their innovations to a panel of investors from Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Egypt. Four companies secured partnerships with investors from within and outside Oman, while the remaining companies garnered interest for indirect cooperation and investment.
In addition, an innovation consulting platform offered consultations to 150 innovators across various domains. Beneficiaries of this initiative will receive follow-up support over the next six months to facilitate the realisation of their ideas into tangible products, services, and startup ventures.
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