‘Touchdown’ entrepreneurship programme launched

AMMAN — The Queen Rania Centre for Entrepreneurship (QRCE) at Princess Sumaya University for Technology (PSUT), in cooperation with the business incubator iPARK and the US embassy in Jordan announced the launch of the “Touchdown” entrepreneurs’ residency programme in the US.

The programme aims to help 16 Jordanian start-ups gain access to the US market, build partnerships and conduct market studies with the aim of expansion, according to a PSUT statement.

This 17-month programme, which is launched within the activities of the 14th Global Entrepreneur Week, consists of several stages, whereby startups submit a request to join the programme. 

The request is studied by iPark and the QRCE and after studying the applications, a number of applicants are qualified for a business acceleration programme. The companies participating in the “Business Expansion” programme, then, work to build strategic plans for expansion in the US market and set clear goals to achieve that.

The programme includes a series of specialised trainings on pivotal topics related to building companies and building networks with incubators and entrepreneurs from the US. 

After the completion of the local part of the programme, a number of participants will be selected to travel to the US to start their strategic plans for expansion and build relationships and partnerships in the American market.

Sinere Doueiri, Incubator Manager at the Technology Business Incubator iPARK, emphasised the important role the incubator and the QRCE at PSUT play to support the entrepreneurship environment in Jordan. 

She also stressed the rapid growth witnessed by the fast pace of economic growth due to the increasing demand for the establishment of entrepreneurial projects, hence the role of the organisations and institutions supporting entrepreneurship and enhancing the spirit of innovation.

Appreciating the strategic partnership of “Touchdown” project with the US embassy in Jordan, Doueiri said: “This project provides an opportunity for Jordanian youth to expand their business scope and facilitate the subsequent operations by providing full technical and logistical support to entrepreneurs and providing appropriate opportunities to closely study the US market”.

US Embassy Public Diplomacy Officer Naveed Malik said: “This wonderful new project, which comes in collaboration with the Royal Scientific Society, QRCE, and iPARK, is a good example of how the United States supports economic growth in Jordan. The Public Affairs Department at the US embassy includes many programmes that focus on employability and entrepreneurship skills in Jordan. Thus, we expect to make great achievements from this project, which enhance economic relations between the United States and Jordan through the fast-growing startups participating in the programme.”