Amman, Sept. 23 (Petra) – The Information and Communications Technology Association of Jordan (int@j) has unveiled TechForward, a flagship initiative designed to align university graduation projects with the needs of Jordan’s ICT industry. The program is funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), in coordination with the Jordan Enterprise Development Corporation (JEDCO).

The initiative seeks to convert student innovation into market-ready solutions, enabling graduates to commercialize their ideas and directly address corporate demand. By doing so, TechForward aims to accelerate product development for local firms and strengthen their regional and global competitiveness.

The first phase opens registration for both students and companies, alongside university roadshows and corporate workshops to map participation mechanisms. The pilot will support roughly 40 graduation projects, positioned as scalable prototypes in high-impact verticals including e-commerce, digital marketing, cybersecurity, fintech, agri-tech, and digital transformation.

"This project is a practical step toward closing the skills gap between academia and industry," said int@j CEO Nidal Bitar. "By creating a platform for students to test their skills on real-world business challenges, we are empowering them to contribute to the sector’s growth and innovation capacity." Dr. Jaafar Al-Shahabat, project director, highlighted that TechForward will function as a trilateral innovation bridge, connecting universities, students, and companies. "By channeling graduation projects to meet the operational needs of ICT firms, we are creating mutual value new solutions for companies, and a tangible career pathway for graduates," he noted.

The program is framed as a scalable pilot, with potential expansion to hundreds of projects across Jordan’s ICT ecosystem, reinforcing the Kingdom’s strategy to position itself as a regional hub for digital innovation, outsourcing, and entrepreneurship.

//Petra// AA