Muscat – The Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation’s Oman Research and Education Network held the OMREN Technology Summit 2023 on Wednesday at Avani Muscat Hotel & Suites under the patronage of H H Sayyid Marwan bin Turki al Said, Governor of Dhofar.

It was attended by decision and policy makers, high-ranking officials, experts and researchers from Oman and abroad.

The summit is a gathering of OMREN with the global research and education community to exchange knowledge and success stories, identify solutions, explore business opportunities, discuss current challenges, improve services, and facilitate connections, collaborations and innovation.

The full-day event consisted of an impressive lineup of stellar speakers, case studies, panel discussions and diverse presentations aimed at providing access to a wealth of industry-leading knowledge, sharing best practices and experiences, spotlighting trends, and exchanging information with actionable takeaways.

The summit had three keynote addresses – ‘Promoting Entrepreneurship Culture in Higher Education Institutions’ by Dr Maen al Qatamin, Founder and Chairman of EntreViable, ‘Technology Localisation and Investment in Education’ by Dr Nasser al Fanna, Director of Office of Technical Programmes at Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, and ‘The Role of Local and International Partnerships in Enhancing Research Productivity and Quality’ by Dr Issa Salem al Shabibi, Assist Director of Department of Research and Innovation Programmes at Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation.

The summit included three panel discussions, tilted ‘Entrepreneurship and the Expected Role of Higher Education Institutions’, ‘Pioneering Experiences in Implementing Modern Technologies in Education’ and ‘Scientific Research and Innovation: Opportunities and Challenges’.

At the summit, H E Dr Rahma bint Ibrahim al Mahrooqi, Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, described OMREN as one of the most prominent success stories of her ministry. There were effective and continuous cooperation efforts by the network’s multilateral team at various stages of the network since its inception till it reached a global status.

H E Rahma added that OMREN is considered the bridge that connects the education sector to various fields of research and industry. The network is built on three pillars – connection, collaboration and innovation.

OMREN Technology Summit 2023 was sponsored by Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel) and Oman Data Park.

OMREN is the official research and education network in the sultanate and the gateway to access similar global networks. It works to build research and local capabilities in various scientific fields in implementation of the national strategic objectives for research in the sultanate.