HH Sheikh Mohammed attends inauguration of UAE Innovation Week 2015

DNA profiling and mapping for UAE residents to prevent diseases were among the several projects presented to His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, during the inauguration of the UAE Innovation Week 2015 on Sunday.

23 November 2015

Shaikh Mohammed said that innovation in government is not an intellectual luxury, administrative improvement or propaganda but rather the essence of the government's role, development and evolution. It is the vital factor behind the transformation of a nation.

"We have seen today the launch of the innovation week by government departments for development projects," he said on Twitter.

"Our government supports innovation and provides an environment suitable for it to improve the life of our citizens. They have gone through phases of application of quality systems and performance criteria and awards. Today they are in a new phase," he said, adding innovation in government is not a luxury intellectually and administratively or improvement, or propaganda, it is the secret of their survival and regeneration. It is the secret to the renaissance and its progress," he added.

Praising innovation experts in government, he said that today there are 50 CEOs of innovation within the federal government who will lead a new phase of the government's development.

During the ceremony, CEOs of innovation in the federal government briefed Shaikh Mohammed on their projects.

Innovation experts presented a project on utilising solar energy and harnessing the energy generated by the movement of cars and bicycles to produce electricity. The project, developed by innovation experts in collaboration with Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, is self-financed, facilitates the production of electricity at low cost and helps reduce carbon emissions.

The second group of presentations was focused on social affairs.

Experts presented a project on utilising artificial intelligence to help youth define their strengths and choose a career that suits their capabilities. The project was developed by innovation experts in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development.

The third group of presentations was focused on education.

Experts presented a 'smart teacher' project that helps students enhance their learning experience and obtain help from specialised tutors through virtual reality programmes.

The project was developed by innovation experts in collaboration with Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University and the Ministry of Education.

Government innovation experts also presented a project inspired by the vision of Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to attract world-class experts and talented people to the UAE to build a solid base for the development of entrepreneurship and a knowledge-based economy.

The project, developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour, and in partnership with the National Qualifications Authority, aims to attract talent in the fields of space, renewable energy, healthcare, transportation, education, technology and water resources.

Another expert group presented a project on DNA profiling and DNA mapping for the United Arab Emirates.

The project aims to use information generated from this exercise to help diagnose and prevent diseases. The project, developed in collaboration with Novartis International, and in partnership with Khalifa University, Dubai Science Park, Microsoft and Illumina, will support the healthcare sector in the UAE with medical research and strategic planning in these areas.

Government innovation experts also presented a smart litigation platform that allows full court procedures to be conducted virtually. Developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice, the project aims to further enhance the efficiency of the litigation process.

Dubai Crown Prince Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum accompanied Shaikh Mohammed at the inauguration.

UAE Innovation Week features the presentation of 900 development projects in the fields of education, healthcare, judicial services and human resources by CEOs of innovation in the government sector.

Shaikh Mohammad said that the government has gone through many phases of development, including instilling a culture of quality and excellence, and implementing performance assessment, e-services and smart services, and is now all set to enter a new phase of innovation.

Dr Amal Abdullah Al Qubaisi, Speaker of the Federal National Council, Shaikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, and Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs attended the ceremony.

The ceremony was also attended by Shaikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, Shaikh Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Mohammed Al Gergawi, Scientific Research Minister of Cabinet Affairs and a number of senior officials.