Sohar: Sohar University today held a ceremony to lay the foundation stone for a building that will house its Innovation Centre. The ceremony also saw the signing of agreements in the fields of research, technology, and innovation. It was held under the auspices of Dr. Rahma Ibrahim Al Mahrouqi, Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, in the presence of Dr. Abdulrahman Ibrahim Almedaires, Director General of the UNESCO Regional Centre for Quality and Excellence in Education.
According to Oman News Agency, Dr. Hamdan Al Fazari, Vice-Chancellor of Sohar University, stated that the centre’s construction, which will cost RO 4 million, is being carried out with support from the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation. The building will occupy a total area of 17,457 square metres and will comprise specialized labs, a patent office, and an international business accelerator. Al Fazari added that the centre’s construction reflects the university’s efforts to foster a culture of creativity and support researchers and students in transforming their ideas into economically valuable products and services.
Al Fazari explained that by establishing the innovation centre, the university aims to create an environment that facilitates the transfer of knowledge, technology, and ideas from the academic domain to the industrial domain. The prime objective is to boost the national economy and meet societal needs. The centre will provide advanced laboratories, business incubators, and innovation spaces that will enable students and researchers to develop projects with economic and societal value.
The innovation centre at Sohar University is considered a pioneering step in supporting research and innovation, marking the first of its kind in private higher education institutions in the Sultanate of Oman. The ceremony also included the inauguration of a ‘Research Chair in Emerging Renewable And Sustainable Energy Technologies’, along with the signing of agreements with Ooredoo and the UNESCO Regional Centre for Quality and Excellence in Education.