Tuesday 22 / April / 2025
Muscat: Oman’s Ministry of Technology and Communications (MTC) has announced the formation of the Technological Innovation Committee to help counter COVID-19, headed by Her Excellency Azza bint Sulaiman Al Ismaili, the Minister of Technology and Communications.
The committee will also have representatives from the Ministry of Health, Telecommunication Regulatory Authority, Sultan Qaboos University, The Research Council, the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates, Oman Technology Fund, and the Oman ICT Group.
This step comes in coordination with The Supreme Committee for Dealing with COVID-19 and in line with government’s efforts to limit the spread of this virus by adopting IT solutions as modern IT alternatives in dealing with its impact.
This committee, which will remain until the successful combating of the coronavirus has been achieved, will undertake supervision of all IT initiatives directed to counter the disease, as well as identifying priorities and requirements to ensure diversity of initiatives and avoid repetition of efforts.
It will also organise and direct specialised national capabilities to provide innovative IT solutions to curb the outbreak of the novel coronavirus through several aspects including: rapid diagnostic and epidemiological investigation, provision of medicine and remote health care, in addition to providing health and medication supplies and prevention techniques.
The committee will also work to promote quarantine and social distancing measures and find a unified mechanism to enhance social solidarity.
This committee will also form a specialised team that includes Omani competencies in the field of innovation and business analysis which will work on evaluating the proposed ICT projects.
It will be responsible of granting funding approvals for the projects and providing them with the required support after getting the approval from the technical team along with strengthening the partnership between the government and private sectors to support manufacturing and production of those products that require urgent priority.
In addition, it will work to find a mechanism to improve the competitive advantage of the innovative national technologies, ensuring their continuation in local markets and developing and implementing awareness programs to ensure wider use of these solutions and applications in the community and work environment.
Azza bint Sulaiman Al Ismaili, the Minister of Technology and Communications, stated “nowadays, these modern technologies play an important role in providing solutions to many challenges faced by people throughout the world, and we have witnessed this in a number of areas including the health sector.
"We have noticed during the past weeks a number of technological initiatives from some individuals and companies in the form of ICT solutions to tackle some of the repercussions of the novel coronavirus, and herein lies the role of this committee: to streamline and support all the national technological innovations to complement the efforts made by the Ministry of Health.
She added: “Therefore, we call on all innovators in the field of emerging technologies, whether individuals or private sector companies, to contact us through the MTC website to provide them with the consultancy and support for their initiatives to become technological solutions contributing to mitigate the severity of the coronavirus outbreak. We are fully confident that the young Omani talents, with their capabilities, will excel and impress us with their innovations.”
