Dubai: The UAE ‘Drones for Good’ Award received more than 800 local, Arab and international entries.
The UAE Drones for Good Award was launched by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, during the second Government Summit last February.
The award, which aims to make optimal use of technology to serve humanity and create happiness in the community, received submissions from 57 countries.
Spain topped the list with 62 entries, followed by the United States with 47 and India with 34 entries.
Saudi Arabia topped the list of Arab countries with 18 entries, followed by Egypt with eight entries.
The winners of the award will be announced in February based on the results of live demonstrations by qualifiers of the semi-final stage in front of the panel of judges.
Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, praised the global response to the UAE Drones for Good Award and commended the creative level of the projects received, and the volume of entries from global educational institutions.
There were 154 entries from educational institutions with a strong presence from UAE universities, as well as international universities such as MIT, Stanford, and the University of Sanjulata.
Al Gergawi added that the ideas have the potential to improve services in areas such as health, education, civil defence, transport and communications, as well as government services, natural disaster relief, and humanitarian assistance.
The award is also expected to significantly contribute to reduced costs of many services as well as their increased efficiency.
“The UAE government has always been the first to launch initiatives that keep pace with global changes and has harnessed creativity and innovation to serve humanity, identifying them as the real wealth of developed societies,” he said.
Relief services topped the list of the entries, accounting for 20 per cent of the entries. Civil defence services came in second with 15 per cent, followed by economic development and the environment at 14 per cent, respectively, and logistics accounting for 13 per cent.
