Kahramaa launches Innovation Week 2024

The Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa), represented by the Creativity, Innovation and Scientific Research Incubator, launched Innovation Week 2024 Sunday.

The ceremony was held in the presence of Kaharamaa president engineer Essa bin Hilal al-Kuwari, other dignitaries and representatives from the Qatar Research, Development, and Innovation Council (QRDI) and global companies such as Microsoft and Google.

Under the theme of 'Digital Creativity and Its Applications in the Fields of Electricity and Water', Innovation Week 2024 is held until April 24 to coincide with World Creativity and Innovation Day.

The objective is to promote a culture of creativity and innovation among Kahramaa’s employees, encouraging them to adopt and develop innovations that enhance work efficiency and performance across all departments.

In his opening address, engineer Rashid al-Rahimi, head of the Creativity, Innovation and Scientific Research Incubator, said that over four years, the incubator will explore new opportunities together, learn from past experiences and seek ways to collaborate with partners in the field of digital technologies, Microsoft Qatar and Google Qatar.

“We will focus on how to apply these technologies to enhance our electricity and water services, ensuring the highest quality for our subscribers while preserving the environment and achieving sustainability,” he said. “We live in an era full of challenges and opportunities, and innovation is the key to success in facing these challenges, especially concerning business development.”

The Creativity, Innovation and Scientific Research Incubator at Kahramaa aspires to play a significant role in supporting the state’s strategy in scientific research.

It aims to be a supportive destination for all innovators and researchers within the corporation’s specialised fields.

The four-day Innovation Week programme is diverse.

Yesterday, employees had the opportunity to hear from speakers including representatives from Kahramaa, other institutions, and key partners such as the QRDI, Microsoft Qatar, and Google Qatar and supporting partners such as Siemens, Schneider, EY, Deloitte, and Elev 8.

There was a presentation on Qatar’s Innovation Strategy, as well as discussions on the utilisation of artificial intelligence (AI) in the fields of electricity and water, along with insights into modern technologies.

The second and third days of the Innovation Week, dedicated to pre-selected employees, will include workshops conducted by Microsoft and Google focusing on digital innovation, specifically linking it to operational processes in Kahramaa.

The fourth day features the Hackathon Competition, aimed at fostering a culture of creativity and innovation among 100 Kahramaa employees representing various departments.

The participants will collaborate in teams to propose tangible ideas that can be applied across different operational processes.

A panel of expert judges will select the top three ideas, and the winning teams honoured.

The Creativity, Innovation, and Scientific Research Incubator, established by Kahramaa in 2017 and restructured in September 2021, now integrates both innovation and scientific research under one umbrella, previously separate entities.

The accomplishments include conducting 42 scientific research projects within the corporation and collaborating with universities and various research institutes, adopting seven new creative ideas, which were transformed into impactful and distinguished projects in collaboration with the QRDI and other institutional partners, executing initiatives with different institutions across the country and organising competitions to inspire school and university students, in partnership with active business accelerators.