About the GPCA Innovation Competition

The 2nd GPCA Innovation Competition will be launched as part of the 7th GPCA Research and Innovation Conference  to promote innovation among university students in the Arabian Gulf Region. The competition is aimed at bridging the gap between industry and academia and stimulating applied research and innovation in the field of chemistry. Through the initiative, GPCA will further engage university students in chemical research and innovation and provide a valuable opportunity for university students from the region to gain exposure to the global chemical industry.

GPCA Innovation Competition Categories

The 2nd GPCA Innovation Competition has been expanded to include two categories under chemical engineering, chemistry, and other related STEM fields in the GCC. The first category represents undergraduate students who are currently in their final year of studies or have graduated no earlier than 31 May 2021. The second category is for the postgraduate students who are currently completing their M.Sc. or PhD degree or have recently graduated no earlier than 31 May 2021.

Students from all universities, vocational and research institutes in the Arabian Gulf offering the above degrees are eligible to participate in this competition. In order to participate in the competition, entries must meet the following criteria:

Innovation
  • Originality, novelty, uniqueness and complexity of the idea/project: approach or techniques used
  • Relevance to the regional chemical and petrochemical industry
  • Compelling case for the prospect of future research (for undergraduate), commercialization (for postgraduate)
  • Awards or competitions won within the academic institute or externally (for undergraduate)
  • Sponsorships granted or publications whether posters, conference or journal papers (for postgraduate)
Presentation and Q&A
  • Clarity, consistency, logical flow and summary
  • Comprehensive, covers all aspect of the idea/project
  • Informative and uses appropriate data to defend the case
  • Ability to address all questions
  • Adherence to the presentation time limit
Quality of research
  • Methodology followed (desk research, field visits and interviews)
  • Planning, organization and delivery of the project
Poster exhibition
  • Clarity, attractiveness and presentation
  • Poster size conform to the competition specifications, poster text, figures & tables are clear and readable from a reasonable distance
  • Organization of content on the poster covering key aspects of the project

Award Committee

farhan

Dr. Farhan Al-Shahrani

Head of Strategic Innovation Partnership

KAUST, Chairman

moayyed

Dr. Moayyed Al-Qurtas

Advisor

GPCA

sadoun

Dr. Abdulwahab Al-Sadoun

General Secretary 

GPCA

adnan

Adnan Al-Mahmoud

IT & Knowledge Manager

GPIC

mabrouk1

Dr. Mabrouk Ouderni

Product Development & Innovation Manager 

QAPCO

ammar

Dr. Ammar Al-Ojaili

Team Lead

OQ

abouleish

Dr. Mohamed Abouleish

Professor of Environmental Science  

American University of Sharjah

noora

Noora Mukhtar

Research Specialist 

GPCA (Coordinator, Non-voting member)

Why participate?

  • Showcase your idea or project in front of leading industry leaders
  • Promote your university as a leading chemical research institute within the GCC
  • Opportunity to secure a one to two-months internship at leading chemical and petrochemical companies within the region
  • Cash prizes of AED 15,000 for first place, AED 10,000 for second place and AED 7,000 for third place under the postgraduate category
  • Cash prizes of AED 10,000 for first place, AED 7,000 for second place and AED 5,000 for third place under the undergraduates category
  • The winners will be promoted across all GPCA’s platforms

GPCA INNOVATION COMPETITION IMPORTANT DATES

GPCA Innovation Competition launch

09 Jun 2022

Submissions open

09 Jun 2022

7 days left for submission deadline

25 Aug 2022

Submission deadline

01 Sep 2022

Committee review

08 Sep 2022

Shortlisting results

16 Sep 2022

GPCA Innovation Competition & Awards Ceremony

26 Sep 2022