(MENAFN Editorial) HH Sharjah Crown Prince: UAE Innovation Month Inspires Public, Private Sectors to Adopt Innovative Thinking and Practices

SHARJAH, UAE, February 10, 2018 Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and Chairman of Sharjah Executive Council and Sharjah Innovation Council, the Sharjah Innovation Month, being celebrated from 15-21 February as part of the UAE Innovation Month, will formally kick off at Al Majaz Waterfront and the Sharjah Center for Astronomy and Space Sciences.

Following the extraordinary success of the UAE Innovation Week over the past couple of years, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has called for celebrating February as the UAE Innovation Month, in line with the enterprising spirit of the UAE's visionary leadership.
Innovation is a way of life

The UAE Innovation Month supports the national innovation strategy and contributes to the UAE's position as a global innovation hub. The month-long celebration encourages and inspires the public and private sectors as well as individuals to adopt innovative thinking and practices. As a young nation, the UAE has always had a passion for innovation and shaping its own future. The principles of innovation and constant search for solutions to challenges in unconventional ways with futuristic tools have defined the country's march of progress. In line with the importance of collaboration between local and federal government bodies, the UAE Innovation Month in Sharjah is organised in coordination and cooperation with the UAE's Federal Government.

HH Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, lauded the development of the Innovation Week into an Innovation Month this year. This reflects a forward-looking vision to underscore the importance of supporting innovation and promoting it in new and future generations of UAE citizens, together with government and private sector employees, towards the achievement of the UAE's strategic objectives of nurturing and motivating youth and innovators to take the path of learning and knowledge, and discovering and refining talent across various fields, he emphasised.
Scientific Culture

HH Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi said: 'Under the directives and patronage of HH Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, Sharjah has worked to ensure that scientific research and innovation are a permanent culture in the Emirate. It has accorded highest importance to education across all levels and ensured that its scientific and academic outputs are according to the highest international standards.

He added: 'The Emirate has done so through the establishment of institutes, colleges, universities and innovation and research institutions, in addition to activities and events, all according to a systematic strategy and integrated programmes that definitely help direct education and its seekers towards scientific research, which leads to innovation and lays the basis for development in all countries.

HH the Crown Prince and Deputy lauded the extensive participation by various Sharjah Government entities, the private sector and academic institutions in the annual exhibition, praising their adoption of innovation as a motto and a daily act upon which they found their work to continuously make new achievements and to improve the work environment into one that encourages innovation and development.

The four-phase event, a one-week event dedicated to one or more emirates, is a platform for all participants to showcase their innovations in the context of efforts to spread the culture of innovation in society.
Strategic Venues of Al Majaz Waterfront and SCASS

Al Majaz Waterfront and the Sharjah Center for Astronomy and Space Sciences (SCASS) have been chosen as the venues after careful consideration and number of exploratory visits by the UAE Innovation Committee in Sharjah. The two venues were chosen because of their strategic location. While Al Majaz Waterfront offers easy accessibility to the public, SCASS is close to universities and other academic institutions, which will encourage more and more students to participate in the activities.

The Organising Committee for UAE Innovation Month in Sharjah has confirmed more than 200 participations and initiatives that will be presented during the week-long event in Sharjah, besides various interactive sessions, presentations, lectures and fun activities. The event is being hosted in partnership with the International Entrepreneurship and Innovation Forum of the University of Sharjah in cooperation with the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

A number of workshops and seminars will also be organised on the occasion, including by Sharjah Innovation Council, Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority, Sharjah Police, the Sharjah Department of Housing and various other Sharjah government entities as well as private sector players.
Out of the belief that the culture of innovation is instilled at an early age, the UAE Innovation Month in Sharjah features a section of activities for children. The special section is also aimed at encouraging the love of creativity and thinking out of the box

University of Sharjah
The University of Sharjah, which won many laurels for its innovations and projects in the past, will once again be participating in the event with a number of new innovations and initiatives such as the Electric Field Planning Fund, an intelligent system for detecting and locating fraud, as well as the development of a robot that controls the inspection and sensing of the above ground storage.

Sharjah Press Club
The Sharjah Press Club, managed by the Sharjah Government Media Bureau, will also launch a unique ‘Q & A' media experience on this occasion. As part of the experiment, participants will be asked five questions (What, Who, When, How, Why). Each question is answered in a different room using the latest technology, and by answering these questions, the participant will have a complete story. This entertaining and interactive experience aims at encouraging students to choose the press as a specialty, as well as an interactive experience that gives participants an overview of the journalism profession and its rules.

During the 'Innovation Week', Sharjah Department of Statistics and Community Development participates with a digital room that allows the visitor to visualise the Emirate of Sharjah in figures and data.

Through the Innovation Month, Sharjah aims to transform innovation into an institutional culture that reflects its positive impact on society, establishes a working curriculum for all government and academic institutions in the Emirate, and encourages the private sector and community institutions to form a unified business system based on innovation as a basis for development.

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