Press Release

QSTP Awards First Proof of Concept Grant to Fuego

Doha, 9 April 2008 - Using mobile phones to create interactive websites could soon be quick and simple.  Qatar Science & Technology Park has awarded its first ever Proof of Concept Fund grant to Fuego Digital Media to develop and test such technology.

Fuego's vision is for people to create internet content by accessing web-based software from mobile devices.  The company says that although tools exist which address some of these requirements, none satisfies them all.

It will use the $500,000 grant to develop and demonstrate the software, in Arabic and other regional languages.

The project is lead by Kevin Higgins and Karl Gretton, both of whom have founded software companies before.  It will be located at QSTP's business incubator which opens in the middle of this year.

Gretton, Fuego's President and Senior Project Architect, said "We are very excited to be have been given the opportunity to develop this technology here in Qatar, creating a new domestic company capable of becoming a world-leading provider of Web 2.0 content."

Paul Field, manager of the Proof of Concept Fund, said "I congratulate Fuego on receiving our first grant award.  The POCF is designed to accelerate the commercialisation of technology in Qatar, and their project will contribute to the growth of the local knowledge economy."

QSTP's Proof of Concept Fund provides grants for universities and small-to-medium companies in Qatar to demonstrate the technical and commercial viability of their research outcomes.  Grants range from $100,000 to $500,000, and can be used to develop prototypes, undertake market research and manage intellectual property.