The Graduation Project Competition (second round), organized by the Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Umm Al-Qura University today, proposed 14 pilot projects. The projects were presented by the university graduates to a committee that evaluated their innovations according to particular criteria. This was to ensure that they were suitable for the proposed ideas, and effective in solving problems.

The Dean of the Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Dr. Muwaffaq Urijah, noted that the competition, in its second round, aims to disseminate the culture of innovation and creativity, and turn them into successful projects that can be implemented outside the university in order to contribute to solving the problems present in society. This is based on the role of young men and women in keeping up with the technical advancements and utilizing them in the service of their country, to be a starting point for them in the field of entrepreneurship.

On her part, the Vice Dean of the Institute, Dr. Najwa Samraqandi, referred to the institute's orientation in transforming graduation projects into investment ideas. These ideas are then included in the business incubator of the "Basics of Entrepreneurship" program, thereby qualifying them to enter the business accelerators of Wadi Makkah, an affiliate of Umm Al-Qura University. In addition, the institute presents the projects to investors and supporting authorities for them to adopt and carry them out on the ground.

The committee praised the diversity of the projects offered by the students of the university, and the unique, innovative ideas that serve the society and the various authorities, enabling them to carry out their tasks with ease and accuracy. The graduation projects were in various fields, such as social, scientific and technical services, and included applications and programs that meet the needs of all segments of society and develop solutions to address the difficulties they face.

The Vice President of the University for Branches, Dr. Abdul-Majeed Al-Ghamdi, and the Dean of the Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Dr. Muwaffaq Uraijah, honored the colleges whose students participated with projects and work papers, namely: the College of Engineering, the College of Applied Sciences, and the College of Computer and Information Systems at the university main headquarters and its branch in Al-Leith, as well as Jamoum University College.

It is worth mentioning that the Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship first announced the Graduation Project Competition several months ago. It held intensive meetings with development vice deans in order to formulate the conditions and criteria related to the competition, and to form an independent committee for the contest. Afterwards, the papers submitted by the students were referred to the committee for evaluation.