Dubai: The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) will present a new set of guidelines designed to enable and create a sustainable environment for innovation in the UAE during the Second Abu Dhabi Innovation Forum at the Fairmont Bab Al Bahar tomorrow.
The forum brings to the UAE capital a distinguished line-up of regional and global innovators to share knowledge and expertise and at the same time examine ways to further strengthen the country as a regional centre for innovation and entrepreneurship.
Presented by Abu Dhabi University (ADU) and the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, the forum serves as the venue for discussion of the latest innovative strategies and global insights that will help in the development of a culture of innovation throughout the region.
"Innovation is a special tool that simply empowers people to do what they want to do," said Mohammad Nasser Al Ganem, TRA director general, one of several distinguished speakers.
"It lets people be creative and productive. It allows them to learn things they didn't think they could learn before, and so in a sense it is all about potential."
TRA will also showcase at the forum the ICT Fund, a first of its kind in the Arab world. The fund was established with a vision to achieve a global leadership position for the UAE's ICT sector by fostering and developing innovation and creativity. Since its establishment, the fund was able to jump-start innovation within the ICT sector in the UAE mainly in the fields of intellectual capital, technological leadership, smart research, innovative ideas, and incubating start-ups.
Other key speakers at the two-day event include Dr Ahmad Khalil Al Mutawa, chief executive officer of the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, who will present a paper titled "Connecting Innovation to Economic Development". In addition, Osman Sultan, chief executive officer of du, will discuss ideas for a digital ecosystem.
Huge potential
"The Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development continually strives to develop and improve the SME sector for sustainable development in the UAE. The majority of our companies are now innovating in parallel with a lot of nationals who have innovative ideas and who need help to realise the potential of those ideas," said Dr Ahmad.
"The Innovation Forum, which made a highly successful debut last year, encourages local and regional businessmen to invest in innovation strategies which among others can help them thrive in the face of a tough economic climate," he added.
"The digital world today has led to a social and economic ecosystem that stimulates creativity and innovation. Inspired by this recent trend, we have come up with Anayou, a powerful digital platform specifically envisioned to meet the diverse digital needs of the Arab world in the 21st century in areas such as social networking," said Sultan.
Opportunities
The forum includes informative panel discussions, practical workshops and case studies as well as invaluable networking opportunities to examine successful innovations from some of the most creative minds from across the world.
Ali Saeed Bin Harmal Al Dhaheri, chairman of the executive board of Abu Dhabi University said, "The UAE is leading the region in enabling innovation not only in the business environment but also within its government policies. A lot of local and regional innovators are taking part in the forum to share their personal experiences and best practices making them a forerunner in the field of innovation in the region."
A question and answer panel discussion will also tackle how to measure results of innovation from a regional context.
