Queen Rania honours young entrepreneurs

Celebrating Jordan’s young entrepreneurs, Her Majesty Queen Rania on Monday honoured the winners of the 5th Queen Rania National Entrepreneurship Competition (QRNEC). In a ceremony held at the Princess Sumaya University for Technology (PSUT) and attended by HRH Princess Sumaya, Her Majesty praised all the projects that participated in the competition, which is designed to develop leadership skills and foster a culture of entrepreneurship among young Jordanians.   The Queen presented awards to the nine winning teams in the technology and social entrepreneurship categories, according to a statement released by Her Majesty's office. Princess Sumaya, chairperson of the PSUT board of trustees and president of the Royal Scientific Society, gave Her Majesty a copy of an animated movie of the Queen’s bestselling children’s book “The Sandwich Swap” as a gift from everyone at the university. She highlighted the competition’s role in developing young people as strong and competent individuals, capable of pushing the wheel of development further. “The various programmes and activities held year-round by the Queen Rania Centre for Entrepreneurship (QRCE) have been instrumental in boosting Jordan’s presence and role at the regional and international levels. The centre has evolved into a destination for global companies and national establishments, aiming at employing their resources and expertise to help the centre accomplish its objectives in disseminating the culture of entrepreneurship and leadership among youths and exploiting their potentials,” the statement quoted Princess Sumaya as saying. “Entrepreneurship is essential for supporting the national economy, given its ability to create new valuable jobs for a wide spectrum of graduates and qualified individuals. Bearing this fact in mind, QRCE saves no effort to provide young people with all means necessary to take their skills to the next level,” she added. Compared to previous rounds, the 2012 QRNEC witnessed increased participation with 250 teams comprising 700 students who attended several training courses and specialised workshops in enhancing entrepreneurship and business skills. For his part, QRCE Executive Director Farhan Kalaldeh expressed his appreciation for Her Majesty’s constant keenness to back such national initiatives, highlighting the competition’s role in grooming young talents for greater responsibilities. Kalaldeh noted that this year’s competition was different from the previous rounds in terms of the larger number of participants, the diverse topics the projects pursued, and the new focus on social entrepreneurship and schools. During the award ceremony, Princess Sumaya presented honorary plaques to the Jordan Ahli Bank, Intel Corporation and N2V in recognition of their sponsorship and continuous support of the competition.   A total of 31 competitors were nominated for the final phase of the QRNEC in three categories: technology, social entrepreneurship and school projects. Amounting to over $30,000, the QRNEC prizes are awarded to projects in the fields of ICT, renewable energy, water, life sciences, advanced technologies, and social entrepreneurship. A nonprofit organisation established in 2004 to help develop technology entrepreneurship in Jordan, the QRCE is part of El Hassan Science City and El Hassan Business Park, and plays the role of a national centre of excellence for entrepreneurship. (jordan times)