Innovation Arabia 13 Conference And Exhibition Opens In Dubai Today
Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and President of Hamdan bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU), the 13th edition of Innovation Arabia Conference and Exhibition – a pioneering event dedicated to innovation in the Arab World, today officially opened at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. Running until the 26th of February, 2020, the 3-day premier innovation event being held under the theme ‘Building the Future of Business and Innovation: The Internet of Things (IOT) and People’ brings together leading innovation experts and top Arab leaders representing the key sectors of the regional economy.
The opening ceremony was attended by Guest of Honor Dr. Tarek Galal Shawki, Minister of Education and Technical Education, Egypt, H.E. Ashraf Deeb, Consul General of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Dr. Mansoor Al Awar, Chancellor, HBMSU and Dr. Abdul Salam Al Madani, Chairman of INDEX Holding and a number of officials from the government and private sector.
Speaking on the occasion, Guest of Honor Dr. Tarek Galal Shawki, Minister of Education and Technical Education, Egypt, said, “At the generous invitation of Dr. Mansoor Al Awar, Chancellor of Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU), I am deeply honored to visit the HBMSU campus and attend the Innovation Arabia 13 Conference and Exhibition. This pivotal gathering comes in the light of rapid changes taking place in the labor market, where we are witnessing a dire need for special skills that enable us to foster innovation in the workplace and inculcate a culture of learning in our society. We are proud to have a conference that nurtures a sense of creativity and innovation in all the key sectors of the economy in the region.”
Dr. Mansoor Al Awar, Chancellor, HBMSU, expressed happiness over the opening of the 13th edition of Innovation Arabia, which has successfully positioned itself as a strategic platform aimed at stimulating innovation, creativity and in support of the move to promote a culture of entrepreneurship in the Arab world. The move falls in line with the directives of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, President, HBMSU, to unleash the potential of the youth, who are seen as the driving force of the future. Dr. Al Awar welcomed the participation of Dr. Tarek G. Shawki, the Egyptian Minister of Education and Technical Education in Egypt, whose presence is seen as an important addition to the event. Minister Shawki is regarded as one of the academic and knowledge foundations in the Arab world and one of the pioneers in re-engineering of the educational system in the Arab Republic of Egypt, supported by unique global knowledge and experiences in harnessing technology to serve education.
Al Awar also expressed his pride and appreciation for the strong partnership enjoyed by HBMSU with Index, acknowledging their key efforts to organize Innovation Arabia 2020, an event aimed at reinforcing national efforts to further drive in innovation and creativity in the UAE, under the country’s wise leadership.
“Innovation Arabia is being held under the slogan, ‘Building the future of Business and Innovation: The Internet of Things and People,’ in conjunction with ‘UAE Month of Innovation’ and in support of ‘2020: Towards the next 50,’ a milestone ahead of the Union’s centenary celebrations. We look forward to the outcomes of this edition, which will be marked by extensive discussions on the role of digital technologies across various businesses and the impact of technologies of the fourth industrial revolution on the lifestyle of societies and the move to shape a more prosperous and sustainable future,” added Al Awar.
Commenting on the occasion, Dr. Abdul Salam Al Madani, Chairman of INDEX Holding said, “The UAE is a pioneer and one of the first countries in the world which is deeply interested in innovation and its application in various key sectors of the country’s economy, owing to the visionary thinking, outstanding strides and sincere efforts of its wise leadership. The UAE aims to invest in the creative energies of the youth in the Arab world, embrace creativity and innovation as a way of life and raise its stature as the most innovative country in the world. Innovation Arabia 13 Conference and Exhibition offers a unique platform that attracts top innovators from various fields and sectors, industry experts and speakers from all over the world, who share their experiences and insights on the most important topics related to various social, educational and scientific sectors.”
“We are indeed very proud to partner with Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU) to organize the 13th edition of Innovation Arabia Conference and Exhibition, which is expected to attract over 1,200 visitors and participants, comprising top researchers, scientists, innovators and academia from more than 50 countries around the world over the 3 days. Running parallel to the conference, the exhibition showcases a number of local and international companies from various fields and sectors.”
Following the opening ceremony, Guest of Honor Dr. Tarek Galal Shawki and a number of dignitaries, academics and top decision makers, toured the Innovation Arabia 13 Exhibition, where they were briefed about the most recent breakthroughs in science, new innovations and the latest advances in technology.
While the conference features 10 panel discussions and debates on various topics related to the 4 parallel conference tracks ‘Smart Cities Zone’, ‘The Future of Work Zone’, ‘Ethics and Technology Zone’ and ‘Learning & Wellbeing Zone’, the event witnesses the presence of 48 world class speakers who offer their deep insights on a number of topics related to the field of innovation during 130 sessions and 5 workshops specifically designed for the benefit of industry professionals. In addition, the conference hosts 179 oral and poster presenters, who showcase the latest case studies and research work related to the top sectors of the industry.
On the first day, Innovation Arabia 13 conference featured discussions on 4 parallel tracks, where under the Smart Cities Zone, a session was held on the topics ‘Generation of Power and Water from Waste – A Case for Policy Reforms’ and ‘Technologies and Solutions for Urban Transformation – Approaches and Best Practices’ among others while under the Future of Work Zone, a panel discussion was held on ‘How to Inspire, Innovate and Lead: Accenture Innovation Architecture’, while parallel sessions were held on ‘Cybersecurity Capacity Building – A Cornerstone of the Fourth Industrial Revolution‘ and ‘The Fourth Industrial Revolution: How People & Technology are Shaping the Future of Work and Organizations’ among others.
Under the ‘Ethics and Technology Zone’, a panel discussion was held on ‘The Power of Continuous Learning’, while other sessions took place on ‘The usage of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence for healthcare applications in UAE’, ‘A Framework for National Cybersecurity Management’ and ‘Creating a regional Open Innovation ecosystem for global stakeholders’. Moreover, under the ‘Learning & Wellbeing Zone’ a panel discussion was held on ‘Youth Employment in the Private Sector’ and other sessions were held on ‘Examine the impact of using the higher education performance framework on Students Loyalty. A case study of private higher education institutions in the UAE’ and ‘Arabic Machine Translation: An Imperative for Knowledge Economy in the Region’.
Running parallel to the Innovation Arabia 13 conference, the exhibition offered many leading brands and companies from various fields and sectors a unique opportunity to showcase their latest tools and services while also giving them a chance to interact and engage with key decision makers and experts in the industry.
Innovation Arabia 13 is organized by INDEX Conferences and Exhibitions – a member of INDEX Holding, in partnership with Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University – HBMSU. Innovation Arabia 13 is sponsored by the Roads and Transport Authority, Dubai (RTA) and Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development (KFED) and supported by UAE Innovates.
