Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation, MIT sign agreement

Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation signed a cooperation agreement with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, USA, to launch a series of knowledge workshops to spread the culture of innovation among employees in the UAE government, and enhance their knowledge in line with the latest global innovation trends.

The agreement was signed by Huda Al Hashimi, Assistant to the Director-General for Strategy and Innovation in the Prime Minister's Office, and Professor Sanjay Sarma, Vice President of Open Education in Professional Education Programme at MIT, and Bhaskar Pant, Executive Director of the Institute of Professional Education at MIT.

As part of the signing of the agreement, a ‘Radical Innovation’ workshop has held as the first workshop under the agreement. The workshop witnessed the participation of 70 strategic leaders, including undersecretaries, assistant undersecretaries and general managers, from federal government entities.

Al Hashimi said the signing of the agreement comes within the efforts of Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation to develop a supportive and stimulating institutional environment in the UAE to encourage more innovation.

"The agreement also aims to strengthen partnerships with specialized international institutions, and work on building national innovation capacity. It will help define the latest trends, offering opportunities to embrace the best practices and benefit from distinguished international experiences in support of the government’s efforts to spread a culture of innovation to make the UAE one of the best innovative countries in the world," Al Hashimi added.

Professor Sanjay Sarma commended the UAE government’s efforts towards creating a sustainable future. He stressed that the capacity and efficiency of governments, companies, national economies and even individuals become measured by the level of their ability to anticipate and explore and shape the future.

‘Radical innovation’ is based on significant achievements in scientific and technical progress, leading to a strategic leap in the use of technologies and products. This kind of innovation comes with new formula of products, processes and unique technologies.

The seminar included practical applications and interactive panel discussions that defined the concepts and mechanisms to identify and evaluate innovative policies and government services. It identified the mechanisms of innovation incubators, and reviewed ways to spread the culture of innovation and develop proactive plans to meet the future challenges.

Participants in the workshop stressed that ‘radical innovation’ theme is reflected in a number of best government practices, and is a new area for developing the level of innovation. It will help improve the adoption of culture of innovation and will reflect on government work.

Tariq Hilal Lootah, Undersecretary of the Ministry of State for Federal National Council Affairs, said, "Innovation is the engine in the process of institutional development, and the UAE government has adopted a practical concept of radical innovation by following policies and proactive solutions to challenges of the future."

Zahra Al Aboudi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, said the adoption of innovation requires a stimulating work environment that encourages innovation as a culture and lifestyle. Clear strategies and awareness on the importance of innovation are critical motivating factors in government work.

The next workshops will be attended by the heads of the innovation in federal entities and be focused on topics related to the designing of innovative ideas to find effective solutions in government work. In the coming seminars, the participants will gain training on effective tools for managing innovation, and gain insights into the role of working group heads in stimulating strategic innovation and developing innovation teams.

Source :WAM