EBTIKAR: Boosting Innovation and Development in the Kingdom of Bahrain

EBTIKAR is the result of a need to coordinate efforts between the existing ecosystems to help boost innovation and development in the Kingdom of Bahrain in various sectors. This includes management, science, education, financial services, industry and other sectors that require innovation to solve problems and enhance efficiency in doing business.

Osama Al Khajah, Founder and President of EBTIKAR Association and Chairman of Baytik Industrial Oasis, discusses the EBTIKAR initiative.

The fact that EBTIKAR’s founders are well potitioned, in Khajah’s words, “Either CEOs or in a high level of executive management in different institutions [should] definitely help the institution through their experience to be managed and achieve its objectives. In addition, alliances with international institutions like the Arab Science and Technology Foundation, the United Nations Industrial Development Organizations (UNIDO) and other institutions have been made to achieve the targets which are not limited to Bahrain but to the region and specifically to MENA.”

The main aim of EBTIKAR is to boost development of innovation. For example, Al Khajah adds, “The polytechniques or the University of Bahrain graduate students from different departments every year and many of those students have good ideas which are used for graduation projects. Many of those ideas deserve attention from the private sector as well as from the educational sector to develop the idea perhaps into a business plan. The student may become an entrepreneur and develop his idea into a product that can be commercialized and used in the market. That is one example.”