Oman Animal and Plant Genetic Resources Centre (Mawarid), under the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, on Monday organised a virtual meeting for the Manafa’a programme’s partners. 

The meeting aimed to address questions and provide clarifications on Manafa’a 2021 that will be held in December this year. The teams will be incubated by the Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre at Sultan Qaboos University to develop their prototypes from July 1 to October 1; those who make it will join the Business Accelerator of Falha Investment Company to establish their own company and get into the market.

The meeting was attended by Dr Thuraya al Sariri, assistant director general for the Nature Conservation, who is also the head of the Technical Committee of ‘The National Initiative to Plant Ten Million Trees’, Zakariyya al Wahaibi, Incubations and Business Development in-charge at the Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre at Sultan Qaboos University, and Dr Amaal al Abrawi, CEO of Falha Investment Company.

This year’s programme is jointly organised by the Environment Authority. It is implemented within a strategic partnership with the Centre for Innovation and Technology Transfer at Sultan Qaboos University and Falha Investment Company, and is sponsored by Petroleum Development Oman  and Oman India Fertiliser Company. This year’s Manafa’a programme comes under the theme ‘The National Initiative to Plant Ten Million Trees’.

On June 6 Mawarid opened registration for the Manafa’a 2021, and the deadline for receiving applications is August 8. Interested candidates can visit www.oapgrc.gov.om to submit their applications.

Manafa’a programme this year aims to support this national environmental initiative, encourage innovative ideas that will contribute towards the embodiment of the initiative on the ground, and maximise its environmental, educational and economic benefits, through attracting biodiversity and genetic resources-based innovative ideas and transforming them into real creative economic projects. These ideas are welcomed from Omanis and residents of Oman including entrepreneurs, researchers, environmentalists, programmers, creators, marketers, and others.

Areas of Manafa’a programme may include smart agriculture and production systems, applications of artificial intelligence and modern irrigation systems, organic fertiliser products, natural cosmetic products and natural hygiene products, medical and pharmaceutical products, natural products and supplements, clean energy production, pesticide products and organic control, organic cleaning products and natural waste recycling products, organic plastic products and organic paints and compounds.