Middle East operator Qtel Group is teaming with chip giant Qualcomm and industry association the GSMA to launch a global competition that aims to highlight key mobile health initiatives taking place within the university community and showcase them at the GSMA-mHealth Alliance Mobile Health Summit 2012.

Teams of university students will be tasked with developing a mobile health concept that will address a specific healthcare need; these concepts could take the form of a business concept or a technology development.  The solution should tackle a number of criteria, including commercial appeal, innovation, use of standards and consideration of regulation challenges, and the user experience. The teams will compete to reach the challenge finals, which will be hosted at the second annual GSMA-mHealth Alliance Mobile Health Summit in Cape Town on May 29, 2012.

Two members of the top 10 teams will be invited, expenses paid, to attend the Summit and present their entries to a judging panel comprised of venture capitalists, major industry players and thought leaders in the mobile and heath ecosystem. The winning team will be awarded up to US$5,000 worth of training and mentoring towards the future development of their innovation.

More information on the challenge is available here.