Muscat – Two Omani innovators have bagged one of the biggest prizes in the Middle East for innovation. Mohammed Saud al Balushi and Al Haitham Mohammed al Kalbani won the gold medal at the 13th International Invention Fair in the Middle East (IIFME), organised by the Kuwait Scientific Club from February 12 to 15 in Kuwait.

IIFME is a specialised invention fair and – according to the organisers – is considered the second most important of its kind worldwide.

Speaking to Muscat Daily, Balushi, HSE specialist and instructor, said, “The International Invention Fair is held annually and attracts the best inventors from around the Middle East and beyond. This edition saw 183 participants from 40 countries, including Egypt, Qatar, Mexico, Thailand, Iran, Iraq and Russia.”

Balushi described their project as “a novel method of flow assurance for transporting heavy crude oil in pipelines”. The objective of the project is to accelerate oil production, preserve the environment and the safety of workers, and reduce the cost of oil production.

“My friend Kalbani and I developed the project using solar energy instead of electricity, making it sustainable.”

He informed that two other teams from Oman emerged winners. Hajar al Shueili and Balqis al Hosani won the silver medal for designing eco-friendly interlock tiles made from recycled materials, which could be a substitute for cement tiles. Additionally, Salim Abdallah al Kaabi claimed a silver for developing an eco-friendly varnish from frankincense.

IIFME aims to provide a platform for Arab inventors to meet their counterparts from non-Arab countries, strengthen cooperation between investors and inventors, and attract well-known inventors to participate in the fair and socialise with investors and Arab inventors.

Elaborating further on the project, Balushi said, “I obtained a patent for it in 2021 from the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion. I faced financial constraints to complete the project, but the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation helped me.”

He is now hopeful of obtaining financial support from the government and private agencies to implement his project and help achieve Oman Vision 2040.

“I urge Omani youth to keep on working on new ideas and take a lead in innovation,” he added.