Mohammed bin Rashid orders extension of next UAE innovation

Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has ordered fundamental changes to the third session of the UAE Innovation Week, to be renamed the UAE Innovation Month and held from 1st - 28th February 28, 2018.

This move comes in the backdrop of the great success of the second edition of the UAE Innovation Week, which concluded on 26th November and saw a community-wide interaction during some 1,250 creative sessions held across the UAE.

The directives of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid to make qualitative changes to the structure and form of the UAE Innovation Month include the expansion of this national event to celebrate innovation and innovators, and attract the best innovations nationwide, Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi, Chairman of the National Committee for Science, Technology and Innovation said.

He noted that the large turnout from all segments of society, private, public and academic institutions, represents a major factor in the success and motivation for the development of this innovative experiment to move it to a new level.

Al Gergawi explained that the UAE Innovation Month aims to empower innovators and employees of government agencies, as well as participants from all segments of society, to have access to all events, and visit the events hosted by participating parties across the UAE.

"UAE Innovation Month will see major events in each emirate open to the public for a month," he added, noting that key initiatives supporting innovation in the UAE will be announced during 2017.

Al Gergawi explained that these changes were the result of the great call made in this session, citing many requests from international organisations to hold innovation conferences within the UAE. The next session will see several international events related to innovation, he said.

He added that the innovation events paint the future of the UAE as it makes innovation a focal point for implementation of the National Innovation Strategy launched by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid to upgrade the government work, in line with the objectives of the national agenda to achieve the UAE Vision 2021.