UAE among top 10 nations in community innovation

DUBAI / WAM

The UAE is one of the top 10 highest-ranking countries in the world with regards to community innovation, revealed the Global Community Innovation Survey, adding that five per cent of the country’s population are innovators.
The results were made public at the Community Innovation panel discussion, organised recently by the Mohammed bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation (MBRCGI), the entity that conducted the study in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The findings place the UAE on the top 10 list, along with the UK, Canada, Finland, Sweden, Japan, South Korea and China.
“The results of the survey reaffirm the UAE’s pioneering role when it comes to innovation,” said Huda Al Hashimi, Assistant Director General for Strategy and Innovation, UAE Prime Minister’s Office at the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs and the Future. “They are testament to the success of the UAE government’s vision and efforts, under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who has called for turning innovation into a lifestyle and daily habit.”
“The survey reveals many opportunity areas that the UAE is ideally poised to benefit from,” Al Hashimi continued; “we could be one of the first countries to develop plans and regulation to manage community innovation and provide incentives for innovators – especially in areas of national priority, such as education and health.”
The study determined the UAE innovators’ areas of interest, which include health, education and computer programming, among others, revealing, nevertheless, that they were willing to venture into other strategic sectors where their contributions could significantly boost the UAE’s innovation score. The report also identified the sectors that have the most potential to boost nationwide innovation, namely, professional training and hands-on technical experience.
The survey additionally revealed that Emirati women surpassed their male counterparts and made up majority of UAE innovators, in contrast with other countries on the list where men dominated. All innovators, nonetheless, expressed their enthusiasm to share their innovations with others to help them improve their quality of life.
In addition to revealing the results of the survey, the panel discussion introduced the concept of community innovation to attendees, identifying it as the process by which individuals create breakthrough products and services to address social needs that were otherwise untapped in the market.
The session featured Eric Von Hippel, Professor of Technological Innovation at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, who specialises in teaching and developing scientific tools for individuals, organisations and entire societies to use to boost and channel innovation. Prof. Von Hippel has announced the results of many innovation-related surveys in the UAE and around the world, underlining innovation as an invaluable economic and social resource. He is an innovation pioneer and has most recently been awarded the “Innovation Luminary EU Award”, to add to his impressive roster of prestigious accolades.