Business & Money | Sunday 20 November, 2016 12:27 pm |

Airbus Middle East, today welcomed key industry leaders on-board the ‘Entaliq with Airbus’ entrepreneurship programme in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Aviation Australia Riyadh College, the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission (SACM) in the US and Qotuf, Saudi’s leading think-tank incubation firm, have joined the program as community partners.

The ‘Entaliq with Airbus’ ecosystem, which currently includes strategic partnership with TAQNIA Aeronautics and Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia), was launched in September 2016 and is a nationwide search for the best innovators in Saudi Arabia.

The program, open to university students and young Saudi entrepreneurs with new business ideas in the aviation, aerospace or the technology sector, has received more than 700 registrations, making a significant impact among the local talent.

The expansion of these partnerships in the Kingdom will allow greater collaboration opportunities and prospects for participants in the program to nurture and bring to life their innovative ideas. The program has received a fantastic response with majority of the applications coming from Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam from youth aged between 21 -30 years.

“SMEs can play a vital role in the Middle East’s aviation sector and serve as essential engines of growth by supporting innovation and new talent. The ‘Entaliq with Airbus’ initiative aims to empower the SMEs in Saudi Arabia by giving wings to their ideas and encouraging a spirit of entrepreneurship,” said Fouad Attar, Managing Director, Airbus Middle East.

We are pleased to welcome our new partners to the program. Collaborating with innovative industry leaders is key to the program’s success and making it even more accessible to the local community. Through our collective efforts we are in a stronger position to build an ecosystem that is sustainable and beneficial for our future generations.”

Interested applicants can be a part of this program by creating and submitting their best idea at www.entaliq-with-airbus.com before the close of registration on 1st of December, 2016.

Sectors in the program include innovations in Business Models, Design Engineering, Flight Operations, Manufacturing and Passenger Experience. The initial step of the application requires users to register for online learning courses in order to become familiar with innovation and aviation. It consists of coaching and mentoring by aerospace experts through online and on-ground workshops.

The second phase, currently underway, involves the development of the applicant’s idea. Registered users have the opportunity to be shortlisted for the chance to receive more in depth training on how to develop a realistic business plan with a specific focus on aviation. Community partners will support by providing mentorship and industry knowledge to the learning experience for the applicants.

Airbus will also hold exclusive workshops for applicants in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam in the run up to the third and final phase of this program.

The third phase of ‘Entaliq with Airbus’ will see professional juries select the ten best innovations to pitch their projects to an expert VIP panel consisting of Airbus, TAQNIA Aeronautics, Saudia and other aviation industry experts.

All partners, will be present in the final stages of the program by supporting the most talented individuals or ideas either through hiring, incubation or further training.