Doha, Qatar: Under the sponsorship of the Ras Laffan Industrial City Community Outreach Program (COP), Ibtechar on Sunday anounced the commencement of the 8th edition of the Sanea Competition.

The inauguration ceremony convened prominent individuals from the education, energy, and technology sectors, alongside participating students and educators, to celebrate the launch of the Sanea Northern Area 2025–2026 edition.

This year, 17 teams representing 10 schools from northern Qatar will engage in a six-month initiative designed to foster creativity through Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).

Under the guidance of 15 teachers, who will also undergo advanced training provided by the Sanea Program powered by Ibtechar, students will acquire the skills necessary to transform innovative concepts into functional prototypes.

The Sanea Competition focuses on empowering Qatari youth with the STEM skills required to enable innovation and drive impact in society.

Throughout the competition, participants will progress from identifying real-world challenges to developing practical, technology-driven solutions. Projects will be assessed by an expert panel of judges based on criteria such as design process, product functionality, teamwork, and presentation skills.

Nayef Al-Ibrahim, Co-founder and CEO of Ibtechar, said:“With every edition of Sanea, we continue to expand the programme's reach and deepen its impact – empowering young people across Qatar with the tools, resources and guidance to unlock their creativity and transform ideas intoactions. This year marks an exciting milestone as weintroduce dedicated makerspaces to participating schools- dynamic innovation labs that enable students to ideate, experiment, and designreal-world solutions using cutting-edge technologies. Through this initiative, we reaffirm our commitment to cultivating innovation mindsets and supportingQatar's transition towards a diversifies, knowledge-based economy in alignment with the Qatar National Vision 2030.”

Since its inception in 2016, the Sanea Competition has empowered more than 500 Qatari youth to explore innovation through hands-on discovery and creative problem-solving. Ibtechar has also trained over 180 teachers to provide technical and mentorship support, resulting in more than 200 project submissions to date.

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