AIRBUS has announced that it has identified the top ten finalists in this year’s edition of ‘Entaliq in KSA’ — an initiative that challenges the Kingdom’s most talented minds to innovate solutions to pressing issues facing the global aerospace industry.

The aspiring entrepreneurs will now proceed to the mentorship stage of the program. Over the next month, finalists will receive valuable guidance and insights from some of the most renowned leaders in the field of aerospace. Experts will also assist the finalists in enhancing their business models ahead of the competition’s grand finale.

Over the course of two months, candidates attended workshops at Airbus offices and Aviation Australia College premises in Riyadh, where they were able to discuss a range of industry related topics with field specialists to further prepare them for the next stage of the competition. The last workshop also welcomed the Saudi Council of Engineering as the program’s new community partner.

The top three candidates from the second edition of Entaliq will be announced during an awards ceremony in the coming months. Hosted by King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), the event, which will be held in Riyadh, will honor the initiative’s winners and the pioneering ideas of all participants.

The program is directly aligned with the KSA’s ambitious ‘Vision 2030’ innovation strategy that promotes the sustainable growth of the nation’s aviation industry by cultivating and accelerating entrepreneurship in the aerospace sector. Vision 2030 also aims to guide the development of diversified knowledge-based economy by equipping the nation’s youth with the skills and opportunities that they need to flourish, particularly in the fields of Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). — SG