Doha, Qatar, August 13, 2024: As part of its Qatar Open Innovation Program, the Qatar Research, Development, and Innovation (QRDI) Council, in partnership with Qatar Airways, is seeking proposals from startups, SMEs, and corporates for AI and/or ML-based technologies to develop a Smart Work Scheduling and Staff Allocation Tool. Proposals are due by September 4, 2024. 

Dr. Abdelhak Belaidi, RDI Program Manager at QRDI Council stated: "Our ongoing partnership with Qatar Airways aims to support their leadership in the field of aviation. Through our joint innovation opportunities, Qatar Airways aims to shape the future of the industry and set the bar for excellence. Throughout this opportunity, Qatar Airways is seeking innovation to revolutionise airways operations and resource management. This comes in line with QRDI 2030 Strategy, addressing the National RDI priority areas in order to reach one of our main goals, aligned with Qatar National vision 2030, positioning Qatar into a global hub for innovation.” 

A spokesperson from Qatar Airways also said: “We are thrilled about our partnership with QRDI to push innovation and innovative solutions in Qatar. We believe Innovation is crucial for us as it drives efficiency and maintains our position as an industry leader. Innovation, is not just an option, but a necessity in the dynamic aviation industry and we are excited to see the results of this collaboration for our operations.” 

Qatar Airways' technical team currently uses an in-house system with electronic workload and task cards, facilitating decision-making by importing work orders and flight schedules. This system displays relevant details and provides skill-matching filters, assisting the team in manually assigning tasks. To increase efficiency, Qatar Airways is seeking a tool that uses AI/ML based software technologies to allocate resources, based on the required skills and job competencies, and plan aircraft maintenance and work orders efficiently. The proposed solution should include efficient filtering options for staff allocation and real-time progress updates to adapt to dynamic operational environments, and unforeseen events effectively.  

Potential solutions may include customizable generative AI programs, LLMs, NER, classification models, topic modeling algorithms, pattern recognition, anomaly detection, and AI-driven data visualization tools. 

The Qatar Open Innovation program has been the primary platform for startups and innovators to engage with potential government and corporate buyers to co-create market-ready solutions that address the nation’s most pressing challenges in the five national priority areas of energy, health, resource sustainability, society, and digital technology, as outlined in the QRDI Strategy 2030, by identifying opportunities for innovation collaborations to drive economic prosperity.  

With more than 50 Open Innovation Calls, launched in partnership with 20 Local Partners across key sectors, including Aspetar, Matar, GWC, Aspire, Baladna, Sidra, Ooredoo, Es'hailSat, Hassad Food, Kahramaa, Milaha, Qatar Insurance Company,  the Ministry of Labor, the National Museum of Qatar, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, the Ministry of Municipality, Qatar Airways, MADA,  Qatar National Library,  and the Communications Regulatory Authority , the QOI program has garnered the interest and participation of innovators from Qatar and other countries around the world. 

To learn more about the challenges Qatar Open Innovation tackled and submit your proposals, visit the QRDI Portal.