About

The AUIS Innovation Awards (AIA) highlights innovation excellence in institutions in the KRI region & Iraq. Initiated by AUIS Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center (AEIC) to put a spotlight on innovative solutions that have been developed and executed over the preceding two years that:

Have shown to have a positive impact by proposing better solutions than earlier ones.

AIA Judges' Profiles AIA 2022 Judging Process

Awards Trust Mark on AIA 2022:


February 2022 – The Awards Trust Mark accredits well-organized awards from around the world. We are delighted to announce that the AUIS Innovation Awards has achieved Trust Mark accreditation status. The AUIS Innovation Awards highlights innovation excellence in institutions in the KRI region & Iraq, providing recognition for entrepreneurs and institutions in the region. Congratulations to all involved in organizing them and for meeting the high standards required for accreditation.

Awards Trust Mark Website: https://awardstrustmark.org

Winners

Dimond
Award
Winner

Bina App

Bina App is the AUIS Innovation Awards 2022 Diamond Award winner. It is a digital platform in the construction field created by Ranoo Hiwa. Bina App serves in connecting service providers and clients. As a skilled engineer, Ranoo realized that it was hard to find skilled workers to support her projects due to a lack of platforms that connect all professional people that are working in the construction field.

In the growing economy of Iraq, there are continuous demands for jobs to be created and to be hired for these jobs. According to Bina App’s research and surveys, there are a great number of work opportunities in the construction field. However, most of the time, the right people are not chosen because there are no available reviews of professionals online. Bina App sends notifications to the target audience when job vacancies in the construction field are available. You can get requests directly from other users or you can see the available tenders and work opportunities based on your field of work.

Bina App’s strategy is to have the professionals first listed in the application and then reach potential clients. With over 5,500+ professionals listed in the app, once you log into the application you can find most if not all professional workers that someone will need to build a house from A to Z.

Ahjaz Tabibak

Ahjaz Tabibak is an AUIS Innovation Awards 2022 Gold Award winner. It is a direct electronic reservation application, the first of its kind in the city of Mosul, that includes medical clinics located in the area. It receives direct reservations through the application to facilitate and serve the people in Mosul, using modern technology by allocating an account for doctors and the patients to communicate easily.

Gold
Award
Winner

Mosul Space

Mosul Space is an AUIS Innovation Awards 2022 Gold Award winner. It is an innovation and tech hub based in Mosul, Iraq. It targeted young people from 18-30 years old to support them in developing their capacity and improving their skills in business and tech. Mosul Space was established to fit the gap between the educational system and the labor market and also to promote a new mind-set that influences people to start their business or improve their skills to work in the private sector instead of waiting for unavailable government jobs. Mosul Space achieved its goal through a business incubation program, tech and business training, makerspace and coworking space.

Among its successes, the organization has implemented two business incubator programs with over 200 participants, who developed over 40 startups; more than 20 of those startups are currently operating in the market; over 1,500 people (aged 15-35) including 37% female, have completed training in technology or business; over 4,000 people have attended technology and business-related events; some 60 young people have been employed in the local market; and over 15 start-ups have been launched from Mosul Space programs and activities.

Mosul Spaces’ coworking space is a place designed for small business owners, entrepreneurs and freelancers who can reserve a seat to work on their projects in a suitable environment, build a strong network of relationships with other business owners, have access to high-speed internet, have access to kitchen, stationary, and other services. Mosul Space provides mentorship and consultancy service in all of the training it provides and various other project-related consultancy. Mosul Space provides various cross-cutting training in different leading business and technology related topics.

Gold
Award
Winner
Silver
Award
Winner

Rebare Adam

Rebare Adam is an AUIS Innovation Awards 2022 Silver Award winner. It is a tourism business and guide to public spaces that covers close to 7,000 listed locations and sites in Duhok, Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, and Halabja provinces in the Kurdistan region. The application displays information in both Kurdish and Arabic languages.
The beta version of the application was published in July 2017, but was forced to pause at the end of 2018 because of economic issues facing the region and problems with the technical maintenance on the app itself.
Then at the beginning of 2020, an updated version of Rebare Adam was released with a new design and plan. More businesses and public places were added to the app by March 2020. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown stopped movement between cities and governorates. This created new challenges for the app’s creators.
Rebare Adam is now legally registered and available for Android and iOS devices.

Silver
Award
Winner

IoT Kids App

IoT Kids is an AUIS Innovation Awards 2022 Silver Award winner. It is a leading Iraqi project to teach kids coding, robotics, AI, and electronics. Their mission is to provide students with the knowledge and skills that they will need as they move into college and careers in the 21st century. It was first established in 2016 with three team members who were all engineers who graduated from the University of Technology, Baghdad. The company began as a teaching institute that works with private schools in Baghdad to teach kids the right way of using technology.

In the beginning, IoT Kids was implemented in two private schools in Baghdad. As the company started getting known by parents and school owners, more private schools wanted to partner with IoT Kids. By the end of the first year, IoT Kids was working with ten schools in Baghdad.

In 2018, and after the great success that the project received in Baghdad, a decision was made to expand to other Iraqi provinces. Over two years, IoT Kids grew to have branches in nine Iraqi provinces including Najaf, Basra, and others. The growth included the Kurdistan region as well by having a branch in Erbil. In 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic and closing of schools, the company pivoted to online classes during the school year and an online summer camp during the summer break. An online educational platform was also created which included all the courses in a recorded form.

In mid-2021, the IoT Kids maker space was opened in Baghdad Al-Sna’a Street, where children can take in-person classes and participate in workshops to learn how to use different machines and tools, keeping in mind the social distancing procedures and all the children’s safety.

our team

AUIS Entrepreneurship & Innovation Center (AEIC) is an initiative established in 2019 for research and advocacy programs focused on improving Iraq and the Kurdistan Region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Entrepreneurs in Iraq and its neighborhood struggle with challenges posed by limited infrastructure, mentorship, and capital. AEIC aims to fill that gap by providing aspiring entrepreneurs with access to mentors, pitching events, learning resources, awards, accelerator programs, and seed funding. One of those programs is Takween Accelerator.

For more info about AEIC, check out: auis.edu.krd/aeic



Dr. Hemin Latif

Director of AEIC, an educator, and an entrepreneur.

He is an Assistant Professor and Department Chair of Information Technology at American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS). He holds a PhD in Interactive Systems and Robotics from Nottingham Trent University (NTU) and has worked as a Research Assistant at the Center for Innovation and Technology Exploitation (CITE) in the United Kingdom (UK). His research interests include Creative Coding & Computing, Interaction & Experience Design, Physical Computing & Robotics.

Basta Seerwan

AEIC's Project Coordinator.

Basta Seerwan Salih is AEIC's Project Coordinator and an AUIS alumni (Business Administration '19). She has a distinguished certificate in leadership and mentorship from World Learning. She devoted her time during the global pandemic to teaching and mentoring students of different ages. She is passionate about entrepreneurship, leadership, science, math, arts and music. In her free time, she enjoys painting, reading, and studying to become a professional designer. She enjoys staying active with friends and family and finds swimming, basketball, and horseback riding refreshing.

Firmesk Othman

AEIC's Project Coordinator.

Firmesk Othman Rahim is a Project Coordinator at AUIS Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center (AEIC). She holds a Masters degree in English Literature from University of Sulaimani, and worked as assistant researcher at University of Garmian. Besides academic life, she worked in many NGOs as media analyst and translator. She holds certificates of two leadership programs; the Iraqi Leadership Fellow (ILF) at AUIS, and the Perennial Fellowship in Seattle/Washington. She is also interested in politics and international relations.

AIA COUNCIL

The AUIS Innovation Awards Council is created by AUIS Entrepreneurship & Innovation Center (AEIC). AEIC formed a group of distinguished interdisciplinary experts in industry, business, academics, institutions and finance to evaluate the contest activities, select the jury and become an advisory and monitoring group for the contest.

team-01

Eileen Brewer is the Director of the Takween Accelerator based at AUIS. Before this she spent 20 years in Silicon Valley working at tech companies. She has been an angel investor since 2015 and a global consultant focused on youth entrepreneurship since 2014.

On AIA: I am supporting the AUIS Innovation Awards program because supporting youth entrepreneurship is an excellent way to improve the country's private sector and employment opportunities.

Eileen Brewer

Founder and ceo

team-02

Rebeen has been with AUIS since July 2011 and is currently the Executive Director of Admissions and Communications. He has more than 20 years of work experience, mostly in managerial positions, in public relations, media, NGOs, and higher education. He holds a BSc in Chemistry from University of Sulaimani and an MBA degree from AUIS.

On AIA: Rebeen is honored to be part of this great initiative and in his opinion, there isn't a lack of innovation in the region, rather, the real challenge is not having enough support and guidance for innovators while they try to change the world around us.

Rebeen Azad

Executive Director

team-03

Delawit Mesfin is Director of Communications at American University of Iraq, Sulaimani and has over 15 years experience working in the entertainment, media, and education sectors in the United States and Kurdistan Region.

On AIA: She is a proud member of the AUIS Innovation Awards Council because of its mission to recognize and reward innovators who positively impact society.

Delawit Mesfin

Director of Communications

team-04

Dr. Sumer PhD is a faculty member and the Chair of Business Department at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS). He has published several articles, book chapters, and a book. He taught multiple international studies, business, and economics courses in South Carolina and Virginia before joining AUIS in 2012.

On AIA: The AUIS Innovation Awards program is a much-needed initiative in Iraq that will not only excite and motivate innovators, but also provide them with a first step toward turning their innovations into marketable products.

Fahrettin Sümer

Chair of Business Department

team-04

Ramazan Uctu is an Associate Professor of Economics at American University of Iraq-Sulaimani and a Research Fellow of Economics at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. His area of interest includes innovation systems in biotechnology, technology transfer and commercialisations, technological entrepreneurship, and local economic development.

On AIA: I believe this initiative is important because it will help to create a smart future through promoting innovation. As it is said “It takes a village to raise a child, and it takes a community to foster innovation.

Ramazan Uctu

Associate Professor of Economics

team-04

Goshan M. Karadaghi is a Global Health specialist and is a lecturer in the Medical Sciences Department at AUIS. She has been an academic and educator for over 7 years but has also worked in partnership with non-profit centers, government and international agencies, and domestic organizations. Her areas of passion and interest are health, youth development, gender, and education.

On AIA: I have a strong belief that our youth have untapped potential and remarkable talent, and to be able to help some of them realise their significance in influencing and developing our society is very exciting for me.

Goshan Mohammed

lecturer in the Medical Sciences Departmen

Contact

For press inquiries, please contact us via:

  • +964 (0)750 200 7870
  • +964 (0)53 511 2019

AEIC Website