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| From left: Rony Jazzar, chairman of Khayal Production, Abdullah bin Ali al-Thani, president of Hamad bin Khalifa University, Fouad Mrad, executive director of UN-ESCWA technology centre, Major General Mohamed Salem al-Kuwari, general manager of EADS Competence Centre of Qatar, speaking at a press conference at Qatar Science and Technology Park |
The ‘docu-reality’ TV programme dedicated to innovation will be aired exclusively on MBC4 at 10pm.
Stars of Science will begin its search for the next generation of young Arab innovators during the eight-week series, culminating in a live finale on December 1, where a total of $600,000 in prize money will be awarded to four finalists.
Stars of Science (SOS) is the first Pan-Arab TV show to shine a spotlight on the region’s young inventors, including candidates from Qatar Science Club. Organisers promise that standard and quality of ideas and innovation in season three is even higher than previous years. A team of 170 people, including experts and advisers have worked for the last six months to bring the show to fruition.
Launched in 2009, it has previously aired on over 17 channels across the Arab world. SOS has attracted the attention of news media worldwide, featured in documentary pieces by Al Jazeera, CNN, BBC, Euronews and ARTE.
The announcement came in a regional press conference at Qatar Science & Technology Park, on the Qatar Foundation campus, where the main stages of the competition will be held. The event was attended by representatives of Qatar Foundation, permanent jury members of Stars of Science, and the winners of series one and two, Bassam Jalgha and Sadeq Qassem.
Sheikh Abdulla bin Ali al-Thani, president of the newly-formed Hamad Bin Khalifa University and vice president, Education, Qatar Foundation, commented: “Qatar Foundation is immensely proud to be launching the third series of this hugely popular and original TV programme which showcases Arab innovation, the only format of its kind that is made by the region and for the region. Our goal is to show that science can be entertaining and enlightening. This springs from the determination of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser to encourage science and innovation among young Arabs, and it is a reflection of Qatar Foundation’s vision of a knowledge-based society.”
Following an international recruitment campaign, episodes one and two will see candidates pitch their ideas to permanent jury members Major General Mohamed al-Kuwari, general manager of EADS Competence Centre of Qatar, and Fouad Mrad, executive director of the Regional Technology Centre–UN-ESCWA. The casting tour will take place in eight countries across the region -- Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon and Syria -- during which the permanent jury will be joined in each city by a local university jury member.
In episode three, viewers will follow the top candidates as they attend a selection process in Doha, where the innovators have one last opportunity to impress the 10-person jury who must select a shortlist of 16. The successful candidates are invited to enter a specially-designed workshop in the heart of Qatar Science & Technology Park, where they will have access to an array of state-of-the art resources as well as the support of top engineering, design and business professionals and experts from some of the world’s leading academic institutions and global organisations.
In episodes four to eight, viewers will follow the candidates’ progress as they are tested on different aspects of the innovation cycle, including proof of concept, engineering, design and finally business, to ascertain whether their inventions have what it takes to be manufactured and become part of everyday life.
This season $600,000 in prize money is at stake. It will be distributed among the last four during the live finale on December 1, when viewers and jury members will choose the winner and three runners-up, who will all receive a cash prize to help develop their innovations.
The winner will be awarded $300,000, with $150,000 for second place.
Stars of Science receives support from experts and mentors such as VIP juror Farouk el-Baz, an Egyptian-American scientist widely known for his work at Nasa, as well as blue-chip companies and universities which are partners of Qatar Foundation.
These include Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar; Texas A&M University at Qatar and Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar. Other supporters are College of the North Atlantic-Qatar and Qatar University, as well as Qatar Science & Technology Park.
Hosted by Khaled Jumali, Stars of Science will consist of eight prime-time episodes plus the finale when the public will be invited to vote alongside the jury via SMS. Prime-time episodes are 80 minutes, and they start from October 6, with 30 daily updates starting from October 28 at 4.30pm, all broadcast for the first time on MBC4.