Dr. Khaled M. Batarfi “The idea is simple: We provide creative people a place to start up their businesses,” said our guide Prof. Mohamed Lachemi of Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada, as he took us, the Saudi delegation, led by Abdullah Bugshan, through the Digital Media Zone. “The university provides office space for a monthly rent of a few hundreds dollars a desk. “Here, they could make use of our labs and specialists. We also provide them with contacts and business courses in all areas they may need, including legal issues. Big businesses trust us, they know we don't give space to just any project. We choose only those with good visibility studies and credible inventions backed up with working prototypes, and sensible visions and strategies,” asserts Arab-Canadian Prof. Lachemi, Ryerson University provost and vice president and dean of Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Science. Young men and women were busy working on their base stations, making business calls and preparing reports and excel sheets. Others were conferring with each others and meeting with prospect customers in meeting rooms and reception areas. “This is the startup mode — youthful energy and synergy. Later on, when they make it in the real world and become too big to fit in here, they take off and build their own castles,” explains Prof. Reda Bin Murad of Toronto University, which hosts “MaRS,” a non-profit innovation center, supporting startups specialized in (Medical and Related Sciences) fields. We were shown a couple of demonstrations. One was an invention for hospital operation rooms. The goal is to enable surgeons to control scanners and other equipment by gestures. Much like Smart TVs, a surgeon would move his hands in front of a screen with a camera, to do what he would, otherwise, need an assistant to do for him by voice commands. Another project was about making a very cheap tablet (like iPad) for students in underdeveloped areas without Internet access. The idea is to top up the tablet with all works and texts needed for the school year, including homework and exercises. Students then use the tablet instead of books and notebooks to study and complete their assignments. As a reward, they may play some infotainment games unlocked only after they finish their homework, and for certain periods. Once a month, teachers may take the tablets to where they could connect to the Internet for updates. A dedicated server, with volunteering educators, programmers and translators, would provide new content, save and analyze school works, and update system and application software. Business incubators are not new phenomena. Smart cities and chambers of commerce provide such service to pioneers. What's new here is the role of universities. It makes more sense! Office space and secretarial services are not enough, especially if we are talking scientific inventions. Hand-in-hand support is crucial to the success of creative ideas. Our universities have a lot to learn from these centers. Small businesses and startups will benefit a great deal from academic support. What do you think, dear readers? Here's your comments on last Tuesday article “Saudi G Day in Canada: Future to die for!” Ungrateful “Many students are attracted by the glitter of Western civilization, but that glitter, I believe, is only surface deep. They should be grateful to their country for sending them abroad and investing in their education. If that education does not teach them values, then it is worthless. If their countries lack many characteristics, then they SHOULD come back to correct the situation, not run away from it.” T. Tawfiq Sweet Home! “To every gain there is a pain. There is no free lunch in the modern world, which seems glittering superficially. Permanent residents may tell you about the close neck competition they are facing. Though some ethical standards are better there but one will put his generations at stake when they will adopt social and liberal values that include retirement for parents and bare freedom for kids after 18 years. One must return to home if he/she is needed there because love for home is natural.” Shoaib Sad “It is good to see Saudi young graduates returning home to serve their country. When I accomplished my masters degree in structural engineering, 1982, I had the opportunity to settle abroad, but returned home to give back what I was given. It is sad to see that economic and social conditions are not conducive in several countries for return.” Faiz Al-Najdi Easier said! “Many returning GCC nationals, in non-medical and non-engineering fields, feel wasted in GCC countries. Classic example is that of non-power-electrical and computer engineering. Most Saudis and Emarati CEs and EEs are not working in related fields. However, they get paid well because they are citizens and foreign qualified.” O. I. – Dr. Khaled M. Batarfi can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter: @kbatarfi
