Dubai: The UAE will have a full innovation month instead of Innovation Week by 2018.
His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, issued directives on Sunday extending the UAE Innovation initiative to one month. The next edition of UAE Innovation Month will be held in February 2018.
Shaikh Mohammad’s move comes in the wake of the resounding successes achieved in the second edition where many international organisations submitted applications to hold innovation conferences in the UAE. The UAE Innovation Week concluded on November 26.
With more than 1,250 innovative activities organised across the UAE, the innovation week has seen an impressive social participation.
Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi — Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future and Chairman of the National Science, Technology and Innovation Committee, said that Shaikh Mohammad’s instructions aim to conduct qualitative changes on the structure of the UAE innovation week to celebrate innovation and innovators and attract the best innovations across the UAE.
The impressive participation by all segments of the society, public and private bodies alike was a major factor in achieving the success of the national event. It was a key motive behind developing the UAE Innovation Week and taking it into new heights, Al Gergawi added.
“The UAE Innovation Month will see major events in each emirate and will be open to all people throughout the month. it will also witness a lot of global innovation-related events. During 2017, we will announce a number of leading initiatives that will back innovation in the UAE”, Al Gergawi said.
The UAE government is very responsive to the aspirations of its people. It accommodates new ideas, speeds up their implementation and adopts a forward-looking approach that enables it to develop innovative solutions for future challenges, he added.
Through the wide participation in the second edition, the UAE community expressed a great passion in innovations and future and a strong will to embrace and implement principles of innovation and developing smart solutions for challenges ahead by using modern techniques and tools, Al Gergawi pointed out.
Such a national event, the largest of its kind, has proved itself and succeeded in attracting all segments of society, who through their participation, contribute to shaping the future of the UAE.
The UAE Innovation initiative has become a key pillar in the government’s implementation to the national innovation strategy, which was launched earlier by Shaikh Mohammad to develop government work based on innovative approaches.
The UAE Innovation Week witnessed 336 community activities, 313 technological, 119 cultural, 108 environmental, 92 entertainment, and 66 space and science activities as well as other 216 other activities.
During the Innovation Week, Shaikh Mohammad attended the Government Innovations Ceremony and honoured the winners. He also attended the Ministry of Finance Festival of Innovation and launched UAEU Science and Innovation Park.
