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Jeddah - Yasmine El Tohamy - MAKKAH: The Center of Digital Entrepreneurship unveiled a new competition, Ma’amel Code, this week to empower Saudi university students and promote a new wave of digital entrepreneurship. 

An initiative of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the competition seeks to transform innovative digital ideas into promising startups, fostering the growth of a digital generation.

Yousef Abu Bakar, director of the digital innovation program at the ministry, said that CODE was dedicated to supporting and empowering entrepreneurs and emerging tech companies. 

“Operating through its branches in various Saudi universities, CODE has set up six laboratories across the Kingdom, including those at Princess Nourah University, King Saud University, Qassim University, Dar Al-Hekma University, King Khalid University, and King Faisal University,” Abu Bakar said.

These laboratories have highly skilled teams with strong technical acumen, offering extensive support to both university-based and external projects and startups.

The Ma’amel Code competition stands as a flagship initiative among the array of programs introduced by CODE.

It is tailored to encourage student-led projects. The process is straightforward — teams of students from each university can visit the competition page, accompanied by a technical expert, to present their innovative ideas. 

A rigorous evaluation process is used to shortlist the most promising ideas. Once accepted, students undergo a brief training program designed to enhance competitive spirit and facilitate interaction among universities and the laboratories. 

Winners will be awarded financial prizes and granted access to a variety of services offered by the laboratories, enabling them to realize their entrepreneurial visions.

The atmosphere in all CODE branches is brimming with tech companies, projects and aspiring individuals eager to tap into the wide range of services. 

CODE’s involvement in the “Tech Growth” program positions it as an executive partner focused on supporting tech companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, in their market expansion efforts.

The partnership provides various support programs, including the MVP Lab initiative. Through this program, incubated companies receive non-refundable support amounting to SR150,000 ($40,000) aimed at fueling the development of tech business models and diverse tech solutions.

Abu Bakar said that the Ma’amel Code competition was just the beginning as three more events were in the pipeline. 

These forthcoming events will be announced later, each in collaboration with different partners and technologies, further igniting competition among university students and the valued partners of CODE.