The Mada Assistive Technology Center (Mada) announced the launch of the new edition of the Mada Innovation Award 2025, an initiative aimed at supporting and developing innovative technological solutions that improve the quality of life for people with disabilities and the elderly, with a special focus on the use of artificial intelligence applications. This award is funded by the Social and Sports Activities Support Fund (Daam), as part of both parties’ efforts to promote digital inclusion and expand the scope of access to assistive technology in the region.
According to the center’s statement, the award represents an unprecedented initiative in the region in its focus on innovation in the fields of digital accessibility and assistive technology. It seeks to enable entrepreneurs and startups to transform their ideas into practical, applicable solutions, meeting the needs of target groups and contributing to building a more inclusive and equitable digital environment.
This year’s award is divided into three new funding categories, taking into account the project’s level of maturity and potential impact:
- Emerging Innovations Category: Dedicated to advanced projects that have proven effective and have made a tangible impact. The funding value for this category ranges between 101,000 and 150,000 Qatari riyals.
- Promising Innovations Category: Targets medium-mature projects, with the aim of accelerating their implementation and transforming them into practical applications. Funding ranges between 71,000 and 100,000 Qatari riyals per project.
- Emerging Innovations Category: Supports innovative ideas in their early stages, with funding ranging between 50,000 and 70,000 Qatari riyals per project.
The Center offers two main tracks for the award. The first, the Direct Grants Track, targets projects with a proven model for a product or service in the field of assistive technology, to be developed to meet the needs of the local and Arab markets. The second, the Arabization Track, is dedicated to supporting existing international solutions in the fields of information and communications technology and assistive technology, which seek to Arabize their products into Arabic, enhancing digital access and adapting to the cultural and social specificities of the region.
Mada Center emphasizes that the launch of the award reflects its firm belief in the importance of technology in empowering people with disabilities and enhancing their independence, while the support of the Support Fund constitutes a strong impetus to achieve the initiative’s goals. The award will also contribute to accelerating the adoption of AI-based technical solutions and expanding the scope of digital innovations in the Arabic language, thus consolidating the principle of digital inclusion at the local and regional levels.
It is worth noting that Mada Center was established in 2010 as a national initiative to promote digital inclusion and ensure access to information and communications technology for persons with disabilities. Thanks to its efforts, the State of Qatar ranked first globally in the 2020 Digital Accessibility Rights Index (DARE Index) issued by the United Nations Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs. This is a result of notable achievements in inclusive education, society, and employment, in addition to supporting innovation and developing Arabic digital content.
