‘Katateeb’ and ‘Takkul’ win Fourth cycle of ‘Pitch@Gov’

DUBAI/ WAM

The Mohammed bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation (MBRCGI) honoured the winners of the fourth cycle of Pitch@Gov, organised in partnership with the Mohammed bin Rashid Innovation Fund (MBRIF). The two projects are Rashid Al Zaabi’s “Katateeb” project on family values in the Internet age challenge and Aminata Ndiaye’s “Takkul” project on sustainability in digital transformation.
“Katateeb” is a metaverse platform created to educate young Emiratis on the traditional customs and values of the UAE, while the “Takkul” platform is committed to addressing the critical issue of food waste in the Mena region. The Pitch@Gov competition is set to become a sustainable government initiative to foster collaboration between government entities, private sector organisations, entrepreneurs, and innovators to promote a culture of innovation in the UAE.
This year’s cycle adopted the sustainability in digital transformation theme to support the directives of the UAE’s leadership in the “Year of Sustainability”. Over its past cycles, the competition welcomed 1000+ participations and 100+ presentations, culminating in the honouring of ten winners from the top innovators in the UAE.
Huda AlHashimi, Deputy Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Strategic Affairs, stated that, over four years, Pitch@Gov has presented a supporting platform for every innovator who seeks to turn their ideas into a project or an innovative solution for current or future challenges.
“The joint initiative between the Mohammed bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation and the Mohammed bin Rashid Innovation Fund successfully attracted hundreds of ideas that were evaluated and supported by the competition,” she added. “This year’s cycle focuses on sustainability in digital transformation, in line with the directives of the UAE’s leadership in the Year of Sustainability, and their future vision based on promoting sustainable and comprehensive digital transformation in various fields,” she noted.
Younis Haji Al Khoori, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance, highlighted that the competition exemplifies the essence of collaborative innovation by bringing together diverse perspectives and expertise to address pressing social challenges.
He said, “The winning projects showcase the creativity and dedication of our entrepreneurs and innovators in addressing the challenges of ‘family values in the internet age’ and ‘sustainability in digital transformation’, aligning seamlessly with the UAE’s vision. By empowering these visionaries with resources and support through the MBRIF Innovation Accelerator programme, we catalyse their potential to shape the future of our economy and society. We welcome them into the programme and will continue to support their mission of innovation for the benefit of the UAE.” The projects were assessed based on four main criteria: novelty, impact, feasibility, and how well the innovation was communicated to the world.
In its fourth cycle, the Pitch@Gov Challenge attracted more than 150 innovative ideas and projects, showcasing many innovative solutions. Short-listed projects’ owners presented their innovative ideas within the activities of the UAE Innovates 2024 Exhibition to a jury encompassing an elite group of experts and specialists from the MBRCGI and the MBRIF. The jury evaluated projects that support sustainability, reconnecting emerging generations with the Emirati culture and laying the foundations of innovation in the UAE. The “Katateeb” platform targets children between 3 and 13 years old using gamification to reconnect youth with their heritage. This virtual environment combines gamification elements to allow users to engage in activities that embody core Emirati values, such as hospitality, tolerance, family cohesion, generosity, among others, through interactive role-playing scenarios.
“Takkul” platform is committed to addressing the critical issue of food waste by enabling food retailers to sell their surplus food at discounted prices to consumers. Every day, valuable and edible food is needlessly discarded by food retailers, leading to noticeable economic, social, and environmental challenges. This wasteful practice not only burdens businesses with unsold inventory and financial losses but also contributes to environmental problems such as greenhouse gas emissions and the depletion of precious land and water resources. The platform works with 30 partners in the F&B industry and more than 150 consumers, who use the platform daily.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation adopts a work methodology based on three pillars, namely “Innovation Enablers” through which it creates a knowledge base that encompasses new trends, experts and information; “Innovation Missions” which embrace and implement innovative initiatives in the UAE government, and “Innovation Platforms” which provide innovative practices and approaches to hone government capabilities.
MBRCGI’s work methodology and pillars align with the goals of the “We the UAE 2031” vision and reflect MBRCGI’s ongoing efforts to establish an enabling environment for promoting innovation and building the capabilities of calibers by developing an integrated system for innovation.