UAE Innovation Week: 800 activities, hackathons, labs, and workshops

Dubai ranked second globally in government procurement of
advanced technology products (Images via GE Hewar blog)

From November 22-28, the United Arab Emirates
hosted Innovation Week.
A nationwide celebration of innovation it was the result of
concerted efforts by government, private sector and
individuals.

The initiative, comprised of 800 activities
including events, exhibitions and workshops, was held in different
Emirates of the UAE. The goal was to further a culture of
innovation in the UAE and strengthen its position as a global hub
for innovation.

And it’s a boom time for the
Emirates. Innovation Week was held shortly after it was ranked, by
the World
Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index
2015-2016, as second globally in government procurement of
advanced technology products, and seventh globally in the
availability of scientists and engineers.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum,
vice president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai,
launched Afkari, a government initiative to encourage, support and
fund the innovative ideas of more than 90,000 federal government
employees, and to improve their organizations’ work systems.

“Changing the government system requires
courage, ideas, and support for innovation, and we consider our
employees as leaders,” Sheikh Mohammed said in a
statement.

More than five hackathons and labs, a dozen
competitions, shows, and discussions were organized throughout the
week. Conferences focused on green leadership, developing
innovation strategies, and presentations from research groups and
students.

Brainstorming sessions focused on innovation
policies, opening innovation clubs, and holding an innovation
laboratory for developing and improving the Ministry of Labour’s
services.

GE: Knowledge sharing

General Electric took part of the UAE Innovation
Week, and among the key activities organized, signed a
memorandum of understanding (MOoU) with the Ministry of Economy to
strengthen localized innovation.

“As we transform into a digital industrial
company by integrating software with heavy machinery, we are even
more inspired by the UAE, which is focused on building a culture of
localized innovation,” said Rania Rostom, chief innovation officer
of GE in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey, in a
statement.

GE and the Ministry of Economy signing the MoU.

Per the MoU, GE will organize leadership speaker
sessions, which will be led by experts at the GE Ecomagination
Innovation Center in Masdar City. They will address the areas of
FastWorks, GE’s new initiative to promote a startup culture and its
emphasis on lean manufacturing and agile software
development.

“With a focus on sharing best practices, the MoU will
help provide deep insights into the newest trends in innovative
thought processes, manufacturing, and technologies among the
government staff through high-caliber workshops,” said H.E. Abdulla
bin Ahmed Al Shalleh, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign
Trade and Industry.

GE also opened the doors to the GE Garage
experience at the Dubai Design District (d3), and participated in
the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority
(DEWA) Innovation Week by highlighting its digital
industrial solutions for a sustainable, productive and efficient
energy sector.

The company is participating as a strategic
partner with DEWA highlighting innovations related to the
Industrial Internet, water, energy, efficiency and latest
technology.

Further, GE is nurturing innovators with
Global Education Management Systems (GEMS)
through a five-session, four-week robot-building program for
girls aged 9 to 11, teaching them about advanced manufacturing and
coding.