Qatar Foundation Global Health Initiative Launches New Competitions for Innovators

DOHA, Qatar, Mar 08, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), the Doha-based global healthcare initiative of Qatar Foundation, has announced it is now accepting applications for the WISH Innovation Spark Competition and the WISH Innovation Booster Competition – two new innovation competitions that provide talented entrepreneurs a platform to promote ideas and products aimed at improving the delivery and quality of healthcare. Applications to the competitions are open until 31 July 2020.

The Spark Competition is aimed at entrepreneurs who seek to solve healthcare challenges by developing and validating a scalable project – typically early stage innovations or start-ups. While, the Booster Competition is aimed at exciting innovations looking to scale up and grow.

The competitions are open to local and international applicants, aligning with WISH's mission to build a healthier world through global collaboration. Applicants will be expected to meet some specific criteria, such as the market need for the proposed innovation and its potential for sustainable future growth.

Shortlisted innovations will be showcased to world-renowned health experts, policy makers and potential investors at the upcoming WISH 2020 summit, to be held in Doha from November 16-18, and will also receive additional support that includes mentoring, media promotion, training sessions to help market ideas, and one-on-one meetings with potential investors.

Mahmoud El Achi, Head of Innovation at WISH, said: "We have revamped existing WISH innovation competitions and removed previous age restrictions for entry to widen the field of applicants. This year, we're keen to hear about innovations that promote sustainability while also being impactful.

"Having assessed previous WISH innovation competitions, we've identified a need to offer greater mentorship support and guidance to innovators with fledgling ideas, and to provide the tools and contacts for more established innovations to reach their potential."

Through its new competitions, WISH is keen to promote a wide range of healthcare innovations that can include devices, applications, innovative delivery models, design-based solutions, and business models that aim to improve the quality of medical care while also reducing the cost of care.

The shortlisted winners of both competitions will be announced in September 2020. To learn more and apply, visit https://www.wish.org.qa/innovationaward/

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