Doha, November 06 (QNA) – Qatar Open Innovation Program of Qatar Research, Development and Innovation Council announced two innovation partnerships for Hassad Food Company, one of which was developed in cooperation with Kahramaa incubator for creativity, innovation and scientific research.
Qatar Open Innovation Program is the first initiative of its kind that aims to support the innovation system in the country by strengthening innovation partnerships for government agencies and major local companies in Qatar.
The program received 116 proposals from more than 34 countries regarding innovation calls for Hassad Food Company, two of which succeeded in winning a partnership contract with Hassad Food to implement it.
The Director of Research, Development and Innovation Programs at Qatar Research, Development and Innovation Council Haya Al-Ghanim, said that the council is proud to support the success of one of Qatar’s leading companies, Hassad Food Company, to meet national challenges in terms of resource sustainability and agriculture through research, development and innovation efforts.
For his part, the Executive Director of Business Relations and Communication at Hassad Food Company Mubarak Al-Sahouti, spoke about the opportunity to innovate on “extracting value from agricultural side currents”, and said that reducing food waste is an essential pillar to preserve resources in a sustainable manner, as the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) indicated that about 14 percent of global food is lost after the harvest stage, which contributes to an unstable climate and severe weather phenomena, which negatively affect crop productivity, as well as reduce the quality of food crops, and cause disruptions in the supply chain, nutrition and food security in general.
For his part, the Head of Creativity, Innovation & Scientific Research Incubator (CIRI) and Director of the Conservation and Energy Efficiency Department at Kahramaa Eng. Rashid Al-Rahimi, confirmed that cooperation in this innovative project in cooperation with Qatar Research, Development and Innovation Council and Hassad Food Company, to benefit from water more efficiently aims to reduce pressures on local stocks and irrigation systems and this is in line with the objectives of Qatars water strategy to rationalize the use of drinking water, and in line with the National program for Conservation and Energy Efficiency (Tarsheed).
Qatar Open Innovation Program seeks to address challenges in the five areas of national priority, namely energy, health, resource sustainability, society and digital technology, in line with Qatar Research, Development and Innovation Strategy 2030, by identifying opportunities for cooperation in innovation to achieve economic prosperity. (QNA)