DOHA: The AlFaisal–Carnegie Mellon Innovation Entrepreneurship Centre is incubating its first project: Metis, an application that helps university students plan their courses so they will be in the best career position when they graduate.
Metis is the creation of a team of Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q) alumni Sabih bin Wasi, Rukhsar Neyaz Khan and Jiyda Moussa.
They describe Metis as a tool for students to tailor education according to career goals and interests.
A second interface allows advisers to view the students’ plans and provide input and a third allows the university to input updated information on courses and class schedules.
Metis is the first project of the centre, a collaborative initiative to foster an entrepreneurial environment in Education City.
The centre was launched in the Fall of 2015 by Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani, Chairman, AlFaisal Without Borders Foundation, and Ilker Baybars, Dean and CEO, CMU-Q, to promote innovation entrepreneurship through education, programmes and an incubation process that provides resources and mentorship.
“AlFaisal Without Borders Foundation is firm in its commitment to be a leading global humanitarian organisation focused on achieving sustainable development,” said Sheikh Faisal.
“To do so, we will continue to support innovative ideas that nurture better opportunities for professional success among the future leaders of our society,” he added.
“Taking your idea to the next level and turning it into reality is a full-time job that requires a lot of dedication and support,” said Maher Hakim, brainchild of the centre and Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship, CMU-Q.
“Our students in Education City needed a platform for mentorship, training and early-stage support for startups, which is crucial for them and recent graduates who want to develop innovation projects and pursue careers as entrepreneurs.”
The idea for Metis first came to Sabih bin Wasi in his first year at CMU-Q.
“I have a passion to change things that affect me, and I saw how course selection can have a huge impact on where you end up when you graduate,” he said.
During his time at CMU-Q, he gathered a multi-disciplinary team to develop the project.
In 2014, Sabih participated in a field trip to Silicon Valley, organised by CMU-Q, won Al Fikra business plan competition, and was accepted, along with his team members with their project as the first incubated one at the centre.
Funding for the project was provided by Qatar Science and Technology Park through its accelerator programme.The Peninsula
