It is widely known that the UAE’s ICT industry has undergone rapid growth and change over the past decade.

Fuelled by the creation of new products and services and the evolution of digital, as well as the widespread growth of smart devices and tablets, the industry has undergone significant change.

It is therefore more important now than ever that the creation of new ideas is encouraged, talent is nurtured, and people are equipped with the right tools and environment to enable them to innovate and embrace today’s fast-paced change.

In today’s age of global mobility, it is critical for companies and individuals to stay ahead of the curve and at the forefront of emergent trends to make a mark on the industry, and the right environment must be provided to ensure that this is possible.

The UAE has already taken great strides towards supporting talent and encouraging creativity, particularly in the tech industry with the launch of in5 innovation centre nearly two years ago. As a result, a real developer community has emerged, who are constantly looking at ways they can champion new products and services.

To support Dubai’s vision to become a world leader in innovation, we must all work together to nurture talent, prepare and equip our younger generations, and facilitate the ignition of new ideas.

We are building the foundations of the future, especially given the recent statistic from the International Finance Committee (IFC) that SMEs comprise 95 per cent of all businesses in the Mena region, and 42 per cent of the workforce.

It is of the utmost importance that small businesses and entrepreneurs are able to innovate and drive the industry forward.

The foundations are already in place. The UAE was recently ranked first among Mena countries in the 2014 Global Innovation Index in terms of performance, according to a report by Cornell University.

With nearly 88 per cent of the population online, the UAE is also one of the world’s most ICT-enabled nations. Since the creation of Dubai Internet City, the UAE’s ICT industry has gone from strength-to-strength, and the government has invested significantly in establishing cutting-edge infrastructure to drive the growth of the sector.

This will be further driven by Smart City initiatives and, according to a recent Telecommunications Union (ITU) report, ‘Measuring the Information Society 2014’, the UAE is the highest ranking country in the world in terms of the proportion of the rural population covered by at least a 3G mobile network.

The UAE was founded on the principles of innovation and knowledge. Our country has always nurtured human capital and built an environment that encourages creativity.

Skills must be honed further to drive innovation, and the right analytical and communication skills encouraged for creativity to be channelled productively. New trends must be facilitated and encouraged to achieve the next stage of growth and continued development of the ICT sector, particularly given the recent statistics in a recent US Department of Labour Study that 65 per cent of children currently in primary school will grow up to work in jobs that do not exist today.

The UAE has already established itself as a vibrant business and ICT hub, home to Fortune 500 companies and multinationals, with a flourishing start-up landscape. However, true innovation within the ICT sector will come about as a result of harnessing talent and encouraging creativity, and Dubai Internet City has already taken major strides towards doing so.

A number of initiatives introduced this year, including ‘Decode Dubai’, DIC’s first hackathon, active involvement in the Government’s ‘Drones for Good’ initiative, and bringing Droidcon to Dubai for the first time, have pioneered new ideas and talent.

We will continue explore how we can champion creativity and innovation for the years to come.

The writer is Managing Director, Dubai Internet City and Dubai Outsource Zone.