DUBAI — An international expert on innovation has commended the UAE's high level of success in adopting innovation and making the concept a part of community culture. Addressing a seminar on 'Open Innovation' organized recently by Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation, Dr. Ronald Harwood said the UAE government has shown great commitment in increasing awareness about open innovation as a part of its efforts to promote innovation at the core of government performance. The seminar discussed the best ways to build a culture of innovation based on cooperation using development tools to analyze data, unravel new ideas and measuring them. The seminar also witnessed interactive applications as well as activities to introduce the participants to innovation trends and methods of open innovation. Huda Al Hashimi, Executive Director of Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre for Government innovation, described the seminar as an important milestone in the ongoing efforts of MBRCGI to promote innovation in every area of government functioning. Open innovation strategy can help develop the performance of government entities by enabling employees to adopt innovation as part of their daily culture, Al Hashimi added. Al Hashimi said the concept of open innovation encourages cooperation between different entities in the development process and paves the way for the expansion of public and private sector partnerships to support the government's innovative efforts aimed at meeting the aspirations of the various segments of the society. During the seminar, Dr. Harwood presented an overview of the key principles of the open innovation concept, and described how open innovation tools can be used to support development and enhance the understanding of innovation ideas. Showcasing a number of successful case studies in open innovation in the UAE and the world, Dr. Harwood said these experiences are related to the UAE's ambitious future in the light of the UAE Vision. The seminar was attended by about 100 employees from the federal and local governments, including executive directors, and directors of excellence and corporate development departments as well as customer service and government communication. This was the third innovation seminar in its series organized by Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation in collaboration with Insead Business School, aimed at promoting a culture of innovation and exchange of knowledge based on the innovative foundations of the government system. During the seminar, the participants received practical exercises on basic tools and operations of open innovation. The seminar also highlighted the challenges of innovation, and best ways to overcome them by following a cooperative approach. It looked at the mechanism of identifying new opportunities and business models and criteria for decision-making process in open innovation environment. Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation aims to develop an integrated system of modern tools to help government entities to adopt innovation in the sector and provide innovative services to the public. The Centre is focused on establishing the culture of innovation in various areas of public sector activity. The model of MBRCGI is based on three main pillars: Innovative Ideas, Innovative Capabilities, and Innovative Culture. MBRCGI organizes a series of events and government innovation laboratories to support the development of services and find solutions to challenges. It is also working on training national talents and promoting their capacity in the area of government innovation, in addition to building a global network of partnerships with universities and specialized institutes. — SG
