MIJHAR Program

The HBKU MIJHAR Program is a specialized 6-month training program that is designed for HBKU researchers who are inspired to take their research outcomes from bench to marketplace and/or inspired to take the next step in their career and become tech entrepreneurs. The program takes into consideration the unique challenges faced during the creation of knowledge-intensive start-ups and commercialization of early-stage technologies.

MIJHAR aims to teach researchers and scientists how to develop a clear commercialization plan for their HBKU homegrown technologies and to equip them with the knowledge, skills and tools to launch their technologies to the marketplace.

Best technologies will be eligible to apply for exclusive funding opportunity available to program participants.

Benefits of MIJHAR

Capacity Building

MIJHAR assists research teams in building the capacity to transform their technologies to market-ready. It offers training in key areas:

1. → Foundational Learning: Helps teams understand market validation, customer discovery, and how to craft value propositions.
2. → Business Model: Supports teams in developing business models, identifying key resources, and receiving mentorship to refine strategies for commercialization.
3. → Operational and Financial Planning: Guides managing costs, setting performance metrics, and making informed decisions to assess commercialization readiness.
4. → Piloting: Assists teams in testing their technologies in real-world markets, creating business plans, and building sales strategies.
5. → Investor Readiness & Final Pitch: Equips teams with the skills to engage investors, develop leadership capabilities, and deliver pitch presentations.

Mentoring

Every research team will be assigned a specialized business mentor to guide them in developing their commercialization plan. These mentors will be industry-specific experts aligned with the target technology sectors and will play two primary roles:

1. → Addressing Confirmation Bias: Mentors will assist teams in identifying and mitigating confirmation bias during the customer discovery process. This will help teams absorb and apply relevant insights effectively.
2. → Facilitating Industry Connections: Mentors will leverage their networks within the target industry to help teams connect with the right people. This includes supporting the teams in arranging interviews with potential customers and partners. Mentors will guide teams in networking, making cold calls, conducting interviews, understanding market demands, and applying lessons learned.

Commercialization Plan

Each team will receive structured guidance to develop a commercialization plan in collaboration with their mentor. This plan will outline the pathway for transitioning the research technology into commercial success.

Connections

Throughout the program, teams will have opportunities to expand and network with industry.

For guidelines, templates, and submissions, click here. 
For queries, contact innovation@hbku.edu.qa.