Innovation, research key to keeping pace with challenges

Dubai: The UAE must build a new tradition in innovation and research to keep pace with global economic and social changes, said Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, at the opening Wednesday of the first Rolex Middle East Forum.

The event was attended by authorities from the region and around who were invited to debate pressing global issues.

Shaikh Nahyan said education would be a major force in sustaining socio-economic growth in the Middle East, with new advances in research and technology enhancing the ability to deal with challenges in the region more effectively.

The day-long debate featured contributions from expert panelists drawn from fields as diverse as clinical genetics and space discovery and was the culmination of the 2008 Rolex Awards for Enterprise.

The awards, which were for the first time staged in the Middle East, have for more than 30 years supported pioneering work in fields such as science and medicine, technology and innovation, exploration and discovery, and the environment and cultural heritage.

In his opening address Shaikh Nahyan said that the UAE supports creativity and values innovation, which drive economic success and positive change.