QF, Lemelson Center, and ConocoPhillips Qatar inspire youth to invent at Spark!Lab

Young inventors have been given the chance to innovate and create in a dynamic setting brought to Qatar through a collaboration between Qatar Foundation and the Smithsonian Institution’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation – and it will be returning when the nation hosts the biggest football tournament in the world.

Spark!Lab is an experiential learning and activity space – developed by the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center – that provides children and young people with opportunities to invent, design, collaborate, and find solutions to real-world problems, equipping them with STEM skills that can ultimately help them build careers in creative industries.

Together with ConocoPhillips Qatar, QF and the Lemelson Center created a pop-up Spark!Lab at Education City during the FIFA Arab Cup 2021™, where young participants worked together on innovations themed around accessibility and sport.

Spark!Lab will be back at QF at the end of the year, before and during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, after which the partnership seeks to build a permanent Spark!Lab within Education City Stadium post-tournament. The partnership will also make invention education learning materials globally available in the Arabic language.

“Welcoming Spark!Lab to Education City, which has been made possible through our long-term strategic partnership with the Smithsonian Institution and ConocoPhillips Qatar’s support, reflects QF’s commitment to providing our youth with new and engaging opportunities to explore, discover, grow, and become lifelong learners,” said Machaille Hassan Al-Naimi, President of Community Development, Qatar Foundation.

“We believe in both the importance of accessibility and inclusivity, and the power of sport, in building strong, healthy, vibrant communities, and it has been wonderful to see children and young people produce amazing, inventive solutions to real-life challenges based on these themes at the pop-up Spark!Lab.

“To see them embracing the invention education opportunities that Spark!Lab offers makes us really excited for its return in 2022, the opportunities that it will offer youth in Qatar beyond the World Cup, and the invention education resources in the Arabic language that will be made possible through this partnership. We look forward to seeing our work with the Smithsonian Institution continuing to go from strength to strength, as together we open up new pathways for youth to realize their potential.”

Arthur Daemmrich, Director of the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, said: “It has been inspiring to see young people in Qatar embrace inventive identities.

“Their willingness to tackle challenges that use both familiar and novel materials and to create physical prototypes while practicing 21st Century skills of risk-taking, perseverance, and creative problem solving bodes well for the future of Qatar and the world.

“We have been fortunate to have such engaged collaborators in Qatar Foundation and ConocoPhillips Qatar, which has made it possible to carry out our most successful international Spark!Lab to date. Continuing to develop new activities that relate to innovations in Qatar while benefitting the world is an exciting next step for us.”

“Our future relies on the next generation of inventors, as our communities and industries will need their ideas to solve challenges and power our economies. Spark!Lab plays an invaluable role inspiring children to become leaders in STEM fields, encouraging them to foster lifelong passions for science and engineering,” said Todd Creeger, President of ConocoPhillips Qatar.

“We are proud to partner with the Smithsonian Institution and Qatar Foundation, two leading entities in the fields of education and scientific research, to bring this unique initiative to Qatar. This offers a glimpse of the potential for multi-disciplinary collaborations between industry and public organizations to bring a positive impact to society.”

QF’s collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution – the US’ leading education, cultural, and research institution – was formed in 2020 at the third U.S.-Qatar Strategic Dialogue in Washington D.C., and focuses on education, science, and conservation and heritage preservation.

Bringing Spark!Lab to Qatar this year reflected transatlantic ties that have been reinforced during the Qatar-USA 2021 Year of Culture, and as the international cultural exchange program led by Qatar Museums was marked in Washington D.C. this month, students from QF were given a tour of the Smithsonian Institution and the Lemelson Center, including the Spark!Lab which is based at its home in the US capital.