Expo Live supporting 70 Global Innovators from 42 countries to advance projects. Omani innovators given chance to expand impact with USD 100,000 grant from Expo 2020 Dubai. The applications are open until 2 December.

Omani social entrepreneurs with creative solutions to pressing problems have an opportunity to apply for grants worth up to USD 100,000 each, plus business support and exposure, thanks to Expo 2020 Dubai’s global innovation and partnership programme Expo Live.

In collaboration with Knowledge Oman, the Expo Live team travelled to Muscat on the search for Omani start-ups, innovators and entrepreneurs who are helping to improve people’s lives, preserve the planet, or both.

Change-makers looking to take their solutions to the next level have until 2 December, 2018 to submit applications for the fourth cycle of Expo Live’s flagship Innovation Impact Grant Programme (IIGP).

Successful grantees may even get the chance to showcase their innovations to millions of visitors at the next World Expo, which will take place from 20 October, 2020 to 10 April, 2021 in Dubai, UAE.

Fatma Ibrahim, Assistant Manager – Expo Live, Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “As the first ever World Expo to take place in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region, Expo 2020 Dubai offers an opportunity to catalyse innovation across the Arab world and beyond. Like the UAE, Oman is working to support its youthful and creative population, and Expo Live wants to offer a platform to help fund and accelerate innovation in the Sultanate.

“Innovation can come from anywhere to everyone, so we hope to receive applications from social entrepreneurs across Oman as part of the IIGP’s fourth cycle. This country is home to many talented innovators and we look forward to working closely with them, helping to develop solutions to our most pressing challenges and bringing to life Expo 2020’s theme of ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’.”

 Khalfan Al Mahrizi, President of Knowledge Oman, a non-profit organisation whose mission is to support the country’s growth as a knowledge-based society, said:“By collaborating with Expo Live, we hope to give social innovators in Oman the chance to further develop their projects and boost their positive impact on society and the environment.

“Our goal is to enhance the role that innovators are playing in Oman’s development, which is why we are encouraging all social entrepreneurs in the country to submit applications for the IIGP’s fourth cycle.”

The Expo Live team used the Muscat summit to deliver a series of detailed presentations to Omani social entrepreneurs, outlining the IIGP’s objectives and application process.

Attendees were also introduced to innovations that secured support during the programme’s previous cycles, including a mobile app that gives a voice to the speech impaired by predicting what they want to say and saying it for them; a water and clay-based material that turns dry, sandy land into fertile soil; and a solar-powered refrigerator that stores life-saving vaccines without the need for electricity.

To date, 70 Global Innovators from 42 countries have secured Expo Live’s backing. The IIGP gives social entrepreneurs the opportunity to expand the impact of their solutions while building partnerships with other problem-solvers under Expo 2020’s theme of ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’, and in line with its three key subthemes of Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability.