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The Ministry of Sports and Youth launched the Qatar Youth Council for Future-Making on October 22, 2026, alongside the National Planning Council to bolster young people’s input into national policymaking and foresight activities. This platform forms part of broader maker movement efforts that encourage hands-on creation, critical thinking and collaborative problem-solving among Qatari youth. A ministry statement emphasised that the council will equip participants with leadership capabilities while promoting innovation to address future national challenges and support sustainable development across multiple sectors.
The Qatar Scientific Club has initiated the implementation phase of the Young Inventors programme, which stems from an initiative the Ministry of Sports and Youth unveiled at Web Summit 2026. The programme addresses youth between 15 and 30 years old with an interest in science, technology and inventive skills, directing them through structured phases that include design thinking, engineering methods and prototype fabrication. Engineer Aisha Al Jaber, program director at the Qatar Scientific Club, stated that the Young Inventors program reflects the Qatar Scientific Club’s vision of establishing a comprehensive national ecosystem to support youth innovation by providing an advanced scientific environment that enables participants to transform their ideas from concepts into practical implementation. Early cohorts have already completed initial training with 34 participants, the club reported.
Digital fabrication laboratories constitute a central element in these maker-focused activities, exemplified by the facility inaugurated at Al Dhakhira Youth Center in May 2026. The Ministry of Sports and Youth data places the laboratory as a resource for instruction in 3D printing, artificial intelligence applications and related technologies, extending opportunities to young people in the country’s northern areas. Engineer Abdulrahman Saleh Khamis, deputy executive director of the Qatar Scientific Club, explained that establishing digital fabrication laboratories in youth centers forms part of the Ministry of Sports and Youth’s vision and is being implemented in collaboration with the Qatar Scientific Club while serving as the initial stage of a wider Innovation Incubators Project.
Studio 5, an information and communications technology makerspace created by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in 2018, had delivered 929 workshops and involved more than 17,500 participants by December 2023, according to a ministry assessment. The facility targets individuals from seven to 24 years of age, emphasising creativity, technical proficiency and practical application of digital tools in line with national objectives. Subsequent updates have incorporated educator training sessions to broaden the programme’s influence on technology adoption among younger generations.
Maker Majlis, operated by Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s College of Islamic Studies, pioneered a localised, human-centred design makerspace in the Gulf region and transitioned to digital operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, a Springer Nature academic study published in February 2025 found. The platform combined design thinking, sustainability principles and Islamic values, attracting 229 participants from 25 countries for its virtual activities. University records show that Dr. Evren Tok, founder of the initiative, has highlighted how maker culture allows youth from varied backgrounds to explore solutions tied to global sustainable development targets.
These maker movement developments align with Qatar National Vision 2030 by preparing a generation equipped to contribute to economic diversification and technological advancement. The Ministry of Sports and Youth has overseen additional schemes, including school-based innovation incubators established in eight government institutions during 2025 that feature specialised equipment for robotics, electronics and digital manufacturing. Qatar Scientific Club supervision of such facilities has included technical training for educators and direct support for student-led projects that convert theoretical concepts into working models.
