Innovation Challenges

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Qatar Open Innovation (QOI) Cycle 1
Challenge Owner(s)
Ministry of Environment and Climate Change  (MoECC), Ministry of Municipality (MoM), Qatar Research, Development and Innovation (QRDI)
Organiser(s) Qatar Research, Development and Innovation (QRDI)
Industry Type(s)
Agri-tech, Air Transport, Electronics, Logistics, Sea Transport
Opportunities and Support Proof of concept leading to scale-up, joint development, supplier agreement, licensing
Application Start Date 7 October 2022
Application End Date 21 December 2022
Website Click here to learn more

About Challenge

Developed and launched by QRDI Council, the Qatar Open Innovation (QOI) program connects strategic entities within Qatar (Opportunity Owners), such as government agencies and large local enterprises with a global pool of innovators and technical experts. QRDI Council works with Local Opportunity Owners to identify and frame these opportunities, issue innovation calls, evaluate submitted proposals, and award winners to pilot innovative solutions.

Qatar Open Innovation offers a unique opportunity to develop breakthrough technologies and solutions for priority sectors in Qatar.

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Challenge Owner(s)
Ministry of Environment and Climate Change  (MoECC), Qatar Research, Development and Innovation (QRDI)
Industry Types(s)
Air Transport, Logistics, Sea Transport

Rapid Detection of Harmful Chemical Mixtures at Package Entry Points

The MoECC is the key authority for maintaining the safety and integrity of Qatar customs and ports. Every year, the MoECC is able to monitor, sample and detect hazardous or non-labelled cargo / packages from entering Qatar illegally. This monitoring must also be carried out in a fast and efficient manner to prevent holdups and subsequent fines for importers / exporters at Qatar entry points.

The detection of hazardous chemicals, not declared by importing parties, is provided using IR / Raman spectrometer techniques which enables rapid detection of simple compounds / mixtures after referencing an internal database. However, current commercial devices provided by large corporates are less accurate at detecting hazardous chemicals in complex mixtures.

Additionally, some containers (sealed drums) are also difficult to assess without opening, sampling and analysis by off-site laboratories. Sampling of drums / containers on port side is both complex, time consuming and expensive due to delays related to lab based analysis.

What We Are Looking For

The following use-cases are examples of where MoECC would like to innovate a novel non-invasive detection device capable of identifying complex chemical mixtures.

  1. Oil Transportation – Waste / recycled oil cannot be export / transported due to international conventions. Used oil contains multiple contaminants such as metals, organic and inorganic compounds which are harmful to the environment.
  2. Industrial Chemicals – Identification of pesticides, fire retardant paints, chemicals banned for weapon conventions in sealed containers.

The proposed devices will not require highly trained personnel to utilize and will be robust in the Qatar climatic environment where temperatures are regularly higher than 45⁰C.

*Deadline: 14th December 2022*

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Challenge Owner(s)
Qatar Research, Development and Innovation (QRDI), Ministry of Municipality (MoM)
Industry Types(s)
Agri-tech, Electronics

Early Detection of Red Palm Weevil

Rynchophorus Ferrugineus, also known as “Red Palm Weevil”, is considered the most destructive insect for palm trees across the world. The male Red palm weevils are attracted by the palm trees scent and / or the female pheromones residing on the tree. The mature weevil can lay twice a year and upto 600 eggs per tree which then mature into larvae and cause destruction of the tree by infestation of the tree from the inside.

Currently, no viable early detection and prevention solutions have been developed and rolled out to the public, entities rely on visual inspections by individuals for detection. This detection method is not financially or physically feasible and cannot be deployed on large farms. As a result, when it comes to prevention and spread control of red palm weevil infection, biological and chemical treatments are applied on all palm trees. This method requires significant financial and human resources and is not considered environmentally friendly.

What We Are Looking For

In Qatar, the Department of Agricultural Affairs (Ministry of Municipality) is responsible for looking after public and private farms. The country is also home to 1,000,000+ palm trees available in private properties., The Ministry has previously piloted acoustic sensors, but these were unable to provide detection accuracy (<50%) or were picking up extraneous noise sources causing potential issues with widescale adoption. The Ministry is now seeking new financially and environmentally sustainable technologies to tackle the challenges faced in early detection of red palm weevil in Qatar.

*Deadline: 21st December 2022*

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