AUIS and AEIC host inaugural Innovation Awards recognizing talent from across the country | The American University of Iraq Sulaimani

Warning message

Mean Menu style requires jQuery library version 1.7 or higher, but you have opted to provide your own library. Please ensure you have the proper version of jQuery included. (note: this is not an error)

Error message

Deprecated function: Creation of dynamic property alpha_theme_container::$delta is deprecated in alpha_theme_container->__construct() (line 25 of /var/www/auis_archive/sites/all/themes/omega/alpha/includes/base.inc).

AUIS and AEIC host inaugural Innovation Awards recognizing talent from across the country

Friday, January 14, 2022 - 13:00
 
American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS) and the AUIS Entrepreneurship and Innovation Awards hosted the inaugural AUIS Innovation Awards (AIA) 2022 on January 13, 2022, in a live televised event. The Innovation Awards were designed to honor Iraqis behind innovations of recent years that have shown a positive impact in addressing unmet needs in society. This was the country’s first such award to honor innovators who shape our future and make our lives better. AIA also aimed to spotlight outstanding achievements across various sectors.
 
The event was hosted by AUIS Lecturer Ms. Goshan Qaradaghi, and featured addresses by AUIS President Dr. Bruce Walker Ferguson, Sulaimani Governor Dr. Haval Abubakr, and AEIC Director and AUIS Professor Dr. Hemin Latif. 
 
The Awards was open for submissions from entities and individuals, with a primary criteria of demonstrating innovation and a positive impact in communities across the country.
 
Five winners were announced during the awards ceremony:
In addition to the winners, Mr. Saad T. Hasan, CEO of Qaiwan Group, received the event's Catalyst Award for his organization's generous support of the Awards. 
 
The Awards jury included a diverse panel of judges from around the world:
  • ​Rava Khorshid, Director of the Professional Development Institute (PDI) at American University of Iraq, Sulaimani.
  • Karen Eksteen, Co-Founder of Innocircle, an innovation consultancy in South Africa.
  • Rasha Massalkhy, Head of Incuvestments and Entrepreneurship Programs at INNOVEST Middle East​ in Beirut, Lebanon.
  • Niall Ardill, Advisor for Start-Up Entrepreneurship at Information and Communications Technology (ICT) for Youth in Baghdad, Iraq.
  • Dr. Randi Barzinji, Lecturer, Business Administration Department at American University of Iraq, Sulaimani.
  • Dr. Wisam K. Khalid, Lecturer, Horticulture and Landscape Design Department and CDC Director of Mosul University.
  • Tahar Benattia, Programme Manager at Expertise France, the French public agency for international cooperation and technical expertise.
  • David Woodward, Founder of DAVID WOODWARD & ASSOCIATES LLC (DW), President of the American Consortium of Universities, Principal for EdTech Innovation & Cultural Diplomacy of Yunity LLC, and Senior Advisor for Strategic Outreach for INTERLINK International Institutes.
  • Yad K. Rashid, Chief Executive Officer at Avesta Group in Sulaimani, Iraq.
  • Aziz Nassiri, Chief Executive Officer at RiTS Iraq, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Riyada for Innovation.
 
The AUIS Innovation Awards were first announced in a press conference on November 1, 2021. Submissions were accepted until December 2, 2021. The AIA jury evaluated the submitted applications in three rounds. Applications were submitted and evaluated in Kurdish, Arabic and English. 
 
The AUIS Innovation Awards were made possible by the generous support of donors who include Qaiwan Group — an international company operating in Iraq and across the wider Middle East — television broadcaster Kurdsat, and digital media company Future Media.  
Tags: 
AEIC
AIA