Dubai: The UAE is one of the top 10 highest-ranking countries for community innovation, according to a joint study by a local body and a US university.
The findings place the UAE on the top 10 list, Other countries on the list included the UK, Canada, Finland, Sweden, Japan, South Korea and China. According to the research, five per cent of the country’s population are innovators.
The results were made public at the Community Innovation panel discussion, organised recently by the Mohammad Bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation (MBRCGI).
“The survey reveals many opportunity areas that the UAE is ideally poised to benefit from,” said Huda Al Hashimi, Assistant Director General for Strategy and Innovation, UAE Prime Minister’s Office at the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs and the Future.
“We could be one of the first countries to develop plans and regulation to manage community innovation and provide incentives for innovators — especially in areas of national priority, such as education and health.”
The government entity conducted the study in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
The survey revealed that Emirati women surpassed their male counterparts and made up the majority of UAE innovators, in contrast with the other countries on the list where men dominated.
All innovators, nonetheless, expressed their enthusiasm to share their innovations with others to help them improve their quality of life.
The Mohammad Bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation was inaugurated in September 2014 by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. It seeks to encourage innovation in the government sector by establishing an integrated system of innovation, and to enhance the UAE’s global competitiveness.
