Winners of Manafa’a 2022 announced
Mawarid (Oman Animal and Plant Genetic Resources Centre) of the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation and Environment Authority announced the five winning projects of Manafa’a 2022, the fifth edition of the programme, on Wednesday, January 18, at Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The ceremony was held under the patronage of H H Sayyid Dr Fahad bin Al Julanda al Said, Vice-chancellor of Sultan Qaboos University, in the presence of several senior officials, organisers and leaders of the participating teams.
This year, Manafa’a the programme, which has Oman India Fertiliser Company as main sponsor and Vale in Oman as golden sponsor, was held under the theme ‘Climate Change and Air Pollution’ to support and encourage ideas and innovations that contribute to reducing air pollution and climate change.
The winning projects of Manafa’a 2022 are Omanim, Sadan, Naqaa, Madahen and Greens.
Omanim, by Ali Salem al Busaidi, Ghaitha Ghalib al Shuaibi, Afraa Salem al Mushrafi and Sarah Hamad al Moti, is an organic pesticide made with neem.
Sadan, by Esraa al Hajri, Hamood al Shukaili, Abdulrahman al Habsi and Al Hussain al Nadhairi, is a transparent heatinsulating material extracted from palm fronds applied on glass used in cars. It cuts 85 per cent of outside heat from reaching inside the vehicle.
Naqaa, by Abdulrahman Hassan al Marzouqi, Shamail Said al Saadi, Jawaher Darwish al Balushi and Manar al Attar, converts coffee waste into a material to capture carbon dioxide and purify air.
Madahen, by Aida Yaqoub al Rahbi, Bushra Abdullah al Amri and Manar Rajab al Mukhaini, aims to manufacture a dye extracted from nature which is odourless and harmless to humans and the environment, unlike chemical dyes.
Greens, by Alanoud Hilal al Balushi, Shahad Salim al Harrasi, Hawraa Hussain al Khaburi and Omair Abdullah al Riyami, aims to grow azollas that can reduce carbon dioxide levels while providing livestock with high-protein feed and a nitrogen-rich fertilizer for farming.
The winning teams will be provided incubation services from February 2 to July 29, during which period their products will be developed and market readiness confirmed, in addition to advice on intellectual property rights and preparing brand identity for marketing. Three of the five projects will qualify for a business accelerator programme, which will start of July 30 and end on December 29.
This will include identifying local investors for the projects, building business and commercial identity, and consultations for marketing and financing.
The winning teams will be provided incubation services from February 2 to July 29, during which period their products will be developed and market readiness confirmed. Three of the five projects will qualify for a business accelerator