To support the national and global responses to COVID-19, Qatar Foundation (QF) has deployed all resources, including staff operating at the frontlines, to develop solutions that help people and economies recover from the adverse socio-economic consequences of the pandemic. One such initiative of the organization-wide effort is the Innovation Coupon COVID-19 Challenge.

Innovation Coupon is a grant managed by QF Research, Development, and Innovation (QF RDI) to help local entrepreneurs and startups scale their innovative ideas. Awardees of the Innovation Coupon COVID-19 Challenge Tier 1 are Pickup Order, Study Buddy, and Build Forward; awardees for Tier 2 include The Fight Takes Flight, Combat COVID19, and ECO-Shield; while AltComm, Airlift and Eco Probe won in Tier 3.

QF RDI’s Innovation Coupon provides three tiers of funding that help applicants gradually move their ideas forward from the development of a proof-of-concept, exploration of value proposition, to the identification of the path-to-market.

Tier 1 provides funding of up to QR50,000 to qualified individuals applications, while Tier 2 and Tier 3 offer QR100,000 and QR200,000 worth of grants to successful individuals, SMEs, and startup applicants.

Dr. Rachid Zaffou, technology, and innovation director, QF RDI said, ‘‘The COVID-19 pandemic turned out to be a strong driver of creativity and innovation, our community has been a rich source of innovative ideas that can help tackle the crisis. Our goal is to capture and to help develop these ideas into solutions for real-world problems not only to support the fight against the pandemic but to also create a viable and sustainable economic and social impact for the community,”

In May, QF RDI launched the Innovation Coupon COVID-19 Challenge aimed at supporting concepts designed to tackle challenges related to the virus.

The call received close to 100 applications from individual entrepreneurs, SMEs, and startups with innovative solutions to social and economic aspects impacted by the Covid-19 crisis.

Of the 22 proposals shortlisted, eight were selected for grants, including a number of ideas submitted by Qatari females. 

“Innovation Coupon is part of our commitment to helping early-stage startups and individual innovators to mature their ideas so that they can move their ideas forward to become viable businesses,”

Details of the awardees

Tier 1: 
Pickup Order offers an effective solution to the implementation of social distancing in the foodservice market. The proposal includes developing a mobile application that reduces person-to-person contact while making drive-by orders at restaurants and cafes – a practice ingrained in Qatari culture. By allowing people to scan menus, make an order and input their plate number before or upon arriving at the food establishment, the app minimizes customer-staff interactions, while conveniently facilitating sales transactions.
Study Buddy, submitted by a Qatari female who is passionate about children learning, is an online platform that allows children to find study partners or groups while maintaining social distancing. The platform further supports learning by allowing volunteer tutors and students to connect online. The platform can potentially enhance digital education for youth in Qatar, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, by meeting the demand for local online educational resources.

Build Forward aims to simplify construction procurement processes by creating an online platform that supports B2B purchase, sale, and rental of construction materials, tools, and equipment. It also supports the acquisition of building-related services. The app will incentivize the use of technologies and innovations that promote enhanced productivity and sustainability in the building process. Once implemented, the platform will be the first of its kind in Qatar in digitizing the construction market and promoting the recycling of construction waste.  

Tier 2:
The Fight Takes Flight, Combat COVID-19 uses short animation videos featuring local characters to provide impactful learning experiences among children. Through its 3D animated web series, the project will help tack issues confronting parents and schools concerning children’s understanding of the current social situation brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
ECO-Shield is a novel eco-friendly material produced from bamboo, pineapple, banana, and other food waste. Using the propriety material to create personal protective equipment (PPE) for various applications, the proposal addresses issues surrounding non-biodegradable waste, especially those created by the increased consumption of PPE during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Tier 3: 
AltComm is an eye-tracking software that features a novel, context-based recommender systems. It offers valuable support to patients with compromised communication in critical care settings. It is particularly useful during this pandemic, given that many Covid-19 patients admitted to ICU are unable to communicate due to general fatigue or mechanical impediments such as ventilators and incubators.

Eco Probe is a green and mobile composting solution, with a variety of commercial uses, from restaurants to large-scale institutions. Using microbial technology, Eco Probe can reduce food waste volume by up to 90%, decrease disposal costs, and create a nutrient-rich, reusable end-product. The project offers effective waste management solutions to Qatar’s growing food wastage problem and to the agriculture sector, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic when levels of food waste have increased due to blockages and obstruction in transport routes.

Airlift is a promising Qatari startup developing a low-speed, multi-functional, autonomous vehicle ideal for the contactless delivery of packages. This autonomous vehicle, which runs on a rechargeable battery, can disinfect and deliver packages with minimum human interaction. Electrically operated utility vehicles present a growing market, and autonomous delivery robots have vast potential for replacing many of the traditional means for delivering goods within urban areas.

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Source and Cover Image Credit: Gulf Times