The 11th National Research Award (NRA), organized by the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, and Innovation, celebrated Oman’s brightest minds. Among the 13 winning projects, one stood out in the Education and Human Resources category. Marhouna Hamed Al Maqbali, a teacher at the Ministry of Education and a PhD student at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), won in the Young Researcher’s category. Her research focused on innovation management in Oman.
Marhouna’s study explored challenges in managing innovation in Omani higher education institutions. She pointed out that innovation management in Oman is a major global concern. In particular, the research aimed to identify the challenges faced by innovative students throughout the innovation process. These challenges occurred before, during, and after the innovation stages.
To conduct the study, the team used a qualitative, phenomenological approach. They interviewed 30 students who had participated in competitions or received funding from the Ministry of Higher Education. Moreover, Marhouna’s team selected participants with different levels of experience to provide a broader perspective on the issues.
The study uncovered several interconnected challenges. Firstly, the first stage revealed difficulties in idea exploration, team formation, and supervisor selection. In the second stage, the challenges expanded to personal issues, policies, regulations, resources, and coordination among entities. Furthermore, the third stage revealed ongoing issues, such as a lack of follow-up after competitions, readiness of institutions to adopt innovations, and societal challenges.
Marhouna proposed solutions to improve innovation management in Oman. She recommended better planning, pre-stage development, and specific policies to support students. These actions would ease the challenges students face at each stage of the process.
Notably, the findings were published in the Educational Studies journal of the University of Jordan. Marhouna’s team included Prof. Aisha Salim Al Harthi, Dr. Khalaf Marhoon Al Abri, and Prof. Said Suliman Al Dhafri.
Reflecting on her award, Marhouna said it motivated her to continue her research. She hopes innovative students in Oman will get more attention from stakeholders. After all, they represent the future of Oman and its growth.
