Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - HRH Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan, President of The Royal Scientific Society, has honored the winners of the Queen Rania National Entrepreneurship Competition, annually organized by Queen Rania Center for Entrepreneurship (QRCE) and supported by iPARK.

In Her speech, delivered on Her behalf by Dr. Issa Batarseh, President of Princess Sumaya University for Technology, Her Royal Highness said that “the QRCE works diligently to support the national economy by organizing a series of programs to spread the culture of entrepreneurship in the community and encourage young people to think creatively and help them turn creative ideas into fruition by rolling out productive projects that serve the community, thereby contributing to the national economy and building a knowledge-based economy based on national priorities.”

Her Royal Highness recalled "that in 2004 The Princess Sumaya University for Technology established an - innovation & entrepreneurship center -which embodied the University's vision in the adoption of entrepreneurial ideas and creativity of Jordanian youth, a vision which the University continues to nurture & foster till today.”

The Princess added that “This Center was later to carry the name of the Queen Rania Centre for Entrepreneurship, in recognition and gratitude for the tireless efforts of Her Majesty in urging and encouraging young Jordanians to be creative and innovative leaders"

The Princess concluded, "It is with great pride that we congratulate you all on these innovations and achievements and remind ourselves of the need to support the owners of these intellectual creations and technical skills and to provide an appropriate environment to encourage them to build on their ideas and employ them in the service of communities across Jordan and in various aspects of life.”

The contest, in its sixth edition aims to develop the spirit of entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation among different segments of the local community in order to enable them to transform their creative ideas into successful economic projects that can export products and services to regional and global markets.

For his part, Farhan Kalaldeh, Executive Director of QRCE said that: QRNEC has succeeded in its different editions to help in building a young generation of entrepreneurs in various fields of science and technology, which resulted in the establishment of dozens of successful companies at the local and regional level".

Engineer Kalaldeh commended the supporters and sponsors of the award in its sixth edition represented by the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), Intel Corporation and Arab Potash Company. QRCE has signed a strategic partnership with MEPI to empower entrepreneurs in the governorates in north and south of Jordan. This has reflected positively on the percentage of participants in the competition from outside Amman, which has amounted this year to about 70% of the total participation.

For her part, Ms. Shaden Majali of MEPI indicated that this partnership seeks to raise awareness of entrepreneurship among young Jordanians across the country and inform them of its role in building vibrant economies, stressing the need for the private and public sector to fulfill their social responsibilities and support such core activities that aim at enhancing the capacity of young people and enabling them to achieve sustainable development.

Director of Intel Corporation’s Corporate Affairs in the Levant and North Africa regions, Ms. Rula Habash added, "Intel Corporation is working on a regional initiative to support entrepreneurship in the Arab world through the development of partnerships with related national organizations such as QRCE. In order to develop and build local capacity for Innovation and creativity, Intel is working to provide curricula and workshops in entrepreneurship for universities around the world".

In his commentary, Mr. Bisher Mahasneh from the Arab Potash Company said: "during the various phases of this competition, we felt that our youth recognize the essence of entrepreneurship and its impact on the success of the local economy. We have seen improvement in terms of the number and quality of participating projects. This confirms that our young people are aware and recognize their ability to interact with the requirements of the coming period".

More than 500 young men and women competed for the awards in the sixth edition. They were split into 250 teams, of which 26 were qualified for the final stage within the categories of universities, pre-start ups, and start-ups. The jury chose 8 winning teams from the sectors of ICT, clean technology and life sciences.

The winner for the best outline business plan to support the governorates:
MirasJo
The winner of the award for best business plan with social impact:

Deerati
The winner from the start up category:
•First prize: Printati
The winner from the category of pre-start up projects:
•First prize: SSD
•Second prize: Ebda’a
•Third Prize: Solar Fire
The winner from the category of universities:
•First prize: LGECO
•Second prize: Together Forever

QRCE was established in 2004 to help develop technology entrepreneurship in Jordan. The Centre is part of an innovation ecosystem which includes The Royal Scientific Society, The Princess Sumaya University for Technology, and also represents an integral part of iPARK, playing the role of a national Centre of Excellence for Entrepreneurship. As part of QRCE strategic plan, the Center is implementing a national initiative supported by the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), Intel Corporation and Arab Potash Company, focusing on networking, recognition & awareness, capacity building and support in various governorates.