Doha: As part of its ongoing commitment to supporting innovation and promoting digital inclusion for persons with disabilities (PWDs) and the elderly, the Qatar Assistive Technology Center (Mada) has officially announced the launch of the 2025 edition of the Mada Innovation Award.

This strategic initiative aims to foster the development of innovative technological solutions that improve the quality of life for target groups, with a focus on solutions powered by artificial intelligence (AI).

This unique initiative is funded by the Social and Sport Contribution Fund (Daam), reflecting the alignment of national efforts to achieve sustainable community development.

The Mada Innovation Award is the first of its kind in the region to focus on innovation in digital accessibility and assistive technology. It aims to empower emerging entities and entrepreneurs by transforming their creative ideas into practical and impactful solutions that address the needs of persons with disabilities and the elderly in today's evolving digital environment.

The 2025 award introduces three new funding categories, based on the maturity and impact level of each project: Emerging Innovations (QR 50,000 - 70,000): For early-stage solutions with strong potential in the field of digital accessibility. Two winners will be selected.

Promising Innovations (QR 71,000 - 100,000): For mid-stage innovations seeking to accelerate development into deployable applications. Two winners will be selected.

Rising Innovations (QR 101,000 - 150,000): For mature solutions that have demonstrated measurable impact and effectiveness. One winner will be selected.

Applicants can submit their entries through two main tracks; the first is 'Direct Grant Track', which targets innovative entities that already have a proven concept for a product or service in the assistive technology domain. Qualified applicants will receive direct financial support under the“Mada Innovation Program” to further develop their solutions in line with the needs of the local and Arab markets, ensuring readiness for real-world deployment in inclusive and sustainable environments.

The Second track is the 'Localization Track', which focuses on international solutions that are already operational in the fields of ICT and assistive technology and are seeking to localise their products into Arabic.

It reflects Mada's commitment to expanding global innovation into Arabic-speaking contexts, thereby making digital accessibility tools more usable and culturally relevant across the Arab world.

The award process includes several phases, starting with the application period, open until September 24, 2025, via the official award website: org. This is followed by internal evaluation and a review by an expert jury panel of ten specialists in innovation, technology, and inclusion.

The top 20 shortlisted projects will advance to the mentorship phase, where participants will receive specialised advisory support across five innovation areas. The journey culminates in a Final Pitch Day, during which applicants will present their solutions to the jury. The winners will then enter a four-and-a-half-month development phase, where they will benefit from technical guidance and advisory support to transform their projects into scalable, market-ready solutions. Launching the Mada Innovation Award 2025 stems from the Center's firm belief that technology has the power to open new horizons for empowering persons with disabilities and enhancing their independence.

This initiative reflects Mada's commitment to supporting creative minds and accelerating AI-powered innovations that enable inclusion and autonomy for persons with disabilities across the Arab region. The funding of the award by the Social and Sport Contribution Fund (Daam) provides a significant boost to the initiative and highlights the confidence of strategic partners in the role of innovation in serving the disability community. This award will unlock new opportunities for innovators and accelerate the adoption of impactful AI solutions that enhance quality of life and promote full inclusion.

Mada - Assistive Technology Center Qatar is a private institution for public benefit, which was founded in 2010 as an initiative that aims at promoting digital inclusion and building a technology-based community that meets the needs of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Qatar. Mada today is the world's Centre of Excellence in digital access in Arabic, as it was able to get Qatar to rank first worldwide on the Digital Accessibility Rights Evaluation Index (DARE) 2020, issued by the United Nation's Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communication Technologies (G3ict).

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