Doha, Qatar: The Qatar Research, Development, and Innovation (QRDI) Council's flagship program, Qatar Open Innovation (QOI), announced the launch of an Open Innovation Opportunities in partnership with the Ministry of Labour (MoL) in Qatar.

This collaboration represents a significant milestone to enrich the technology sector and promote innovation. QRDI's QOI program, known for its dedication to fostering innovation, introduces an Innovation Opportunity geared towards transforming the certification attestation process and document analysis for Qatar’s Ministry of Labour.

Nada Al Olaqi, Director of Research, Development, and Innovation Programs at the QRDI Council stated, “Our collaboration with the Ministry of Labour in Qatar marks a pivotal moment in innovation and technology. QRDI Council, through the Qatar Open Innovation Program, aims to foster partnerships between government entities and local and international technology-based companies, to achieve more excellence, development and innovation in the government sector. These partnerships will empower government entities to serve as testbeds for piloting innovative technologies, effectively addressing various critical challenges they face.”

“Involving government entities in our initiatives is crucial for establishing a robust and vibrant national innovation system in Qatar, aligning with the efforts to build a sustainable society and a knowledge-based economy, a pivotal objective outlined in the National Vision 2030”.

Dr. Noura Ghanem Al-Hajeri, Director of Planning, Quality, and innovation, at The Ministry of Labour said, “Launching these initiatives in partnership with QRDI Council signifies our commitment to modernize Qatar's labour sector. The opportunities, 'Certification Attestation Process - Optimization through Blockchain Technology' and 'Artificial Intelligence Driven Document Analysis for Qatar's Ministry of Labour,' aim to enhance the efficiency of labor policies and regulations. They will streamline processes, reduce manual labour reliance, and ensure compliance with Qatari law and cybersecurity standards, ultimately enhancing efficiency and advancing the levels of excellence and innovative effectiveness in Qatar's labor sector.”

The first challenge, titled “Certification Attestation Process - Optimization through Blockchain Technology,” aims to address various issues associated with the current manual certification verification process, such as workforce requirements, extended processing times, semi-automated university and government systems, high costs, intricate procedures, susceptibility to errors, degree forgery, and unauthorized verification.

The second challenge, titled “Artificial Intelligence Driven Document Analysis for Qatar's Ministry of Labour,” focuses on improving the efficiency of the Ministry of Labour's operations. Manual document analysis has been time-consuming, labour-intensive, and error prone. By adopting AI-driven solutions, MoL aims to modernize its processes, reduce manual labour, and enhance efficiency, with a primary focus on contract analysis in the Arabic language.

The proposal submission deadline for both opportunities, as highlighted by Qatar Open Innovation Program, is 30th November 2023.

The Ministry of Labour has unveiled earlier a new package of e-services related to the management of work permits, as part of the Ministry's strategy to digitally transform more than 80 services since the launch of the Digital Transformation Unit. The new services include requesting new work permits, renewal requests for work permits, and requests to issue a Labour recruitment approval.

The QOI program has consistently provided a unique opportunity for innovators to collaborate with leading organizations, industry experts, and mentors to develop and scale their ideas. In the past, the program has launched more than 30 challenge calls in collaboration with various partners in Qatar, including GWC, Aspire, Baladna, Sidra, Ooredoo, Es'hailSat, Hassad Food, Kahramaa, Milaha, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, and the Ministry of Municipality.

To learn more about the challenges Qatar Open Innovation tackled and submit your proposals, visit the QRDI Portal.

About QRDI Council

Qatar Research, Development, and Innovation (QRDI) Council was established in 2018 to drive research, development, and innovation (RDI) efforts on a national level in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030 and the Second National Development Strategy (2018-2022). QRDI Council has developed a ten-year strategy, QRDI 2030, which seeks to create a locally empowered, globally connected RDI ecosystem, mobilizing leadership across government, academia, and industry, to transform Qatar’s social and economic future. QRDI Council members include prominent national and international figures from various government and academic entities and industry experts. 

For media-related inquiries, don’t hesitate to get in touch with QRDI at: qrdi@qrdi.org.qa
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