The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research has announced the launch of technological and scientific incubators in universities to support innovation and entrepreneurship and promote national economic development.

This came in his speech during the first conference for technological and scientific incubators in the presence of a group of MPs, the Iraqi Academics Syndicate and a number of undersecretaries, directors general, university presidents, assistants, teachers and employees, where he explained that the Iraqi government since the first moment it assumed its legal and moral responsibilities towards the decent Iraqi people puts the development file in its top priorities and at the forefront of its direct attention as stipulated in its program and ministerial platform.

He added that the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research has made a determined effort to bridge the gap between the outputs of education and the labor market and has been very keen to frame this vision through the ninth amendment to the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research Law, which opened the way for the establishment of technological and scientific incubators in universities.

The Minister of Education called for overcoming the bureaucratic procedures that may face the first steps of the work of these technological incubators, strengthening the contexts of cooperation between universities and society, developing opportunities for interaction between these two spaces, bridging the gap between theory and practice, and meeting the variables of the labor market and developmental requirements.

During the opening session of the conference, the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Dr. Naim Al-Aboudi reviewed the Ministry’s vision and policy in the technology incubators project and its importance in reducing the burden on the state budget, indicating that he will spare no effort to achieve the goals of this pioneering policy that aims to engage young people who are able to contribute to strengthening the national economy and embody scientific and research knowledge in the form of entrepreneurial, productive and innovative projects consistent with sustainable development goals.

The proceedings of the conference included a speech by Dr. Adel Al-Rikabi, in which he congratulated the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research on Iraq’s seventh place in the world and the first Arab in the Times Sustainable Development Ranking, followed by a presentation by the Undersecretary of the Ministry for Scientific Research Affairs, Dr. Haider Abdul Dahad, on technological and scientific incubators and the advantages they will provide in the field of solutions related to graduate employment, while the conference concluded with a panel of specialists.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)