The Gulf Time Newspaper One of the finest business newspapers in the UAE brought to you by our professional writers and editors.
Dubai /Â WAM
The Masdar Institute of Science and Technology on Tuesday announced that it has signed an agreement to be the Official Sustainable Energy Partner of “Innovation Live!”, an initiative aligned with the UAE National Innovation Strategy and Vision 2021.
Facilitated by MEED, “Innovation Live!” responds to the vision of Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, for an innovative and efficient future.
Speaking on the announcement, Dr. Steve Griffiths, Masdar Institute Vice President for Research and Interim Associate Provost, said, “As one of the UAE’s leading research and innovation-focused universities, with a particular commitment to developing clean energy and sustainable technologies, Masdar Institute is pleased to be a part of “Innovation Live!”. We believe innovation is a critical component to not only the UAE’s knowledge economy transformation, but also to achieving the sustainability globally.”
Nisha Ramisetty, Director of “Innovation Live!”, said, “MEED is pleased to partner with Masdar Institute on this exciting initiative focused on bringing government and business together to enable innovation and ultimately drive economic growth. We continue to collaboratively develop the initiative with government and private sector leaders to bring an interconnected innovation ecosystem to life, with sustainable energy as a crucial piece of the puzzle.”
“Innovation Live!” is to feature two main offerings, the “Watercooler Challenges” and the “Innovation Live! Summit”. The “Watercooler Challenges” are brainstorming sessions designed to identify and solve specific sector based challenges that create barriers to innovation across the government and private sector. They kicked off this month, and will be held monthly through November 2016. They will feature independent groups composed of senior government and private sector experts who meet monthly to develop critical solutions which will ultimately shape policy.
Meanwhile, the summit, scheduled for November 21, is intended to be an anchor event of the UAE Innovation Week and is designed to align the government and private sector to address challenges and
facilitate change.
As part of the MoU, Dr. Griffiths will act as plenary speaker at the “Innovation Live! Summit”. Masdar Institute will also host a number of the Sustainable Energy watercooler challenge sessions, and lead general engagement and outreach for the two main features.