Sharjah launches award to boost spirit of innovation

Imran Mojib, Special Correspondent

Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and Chairman of the Sharjah Executive Council (SEC), has called for strategically moving the concept of innovation from a performance-based narrative confined to industry, technology and electronic services to a broader lifestyle approach that is embraced by everyone in scientific, societal, environmental and commercial spheres. These broader trends can enable champions to develop their tools and capabilities and ensure better showcases and challenges, he emphasised.

This came in the Crown Prince’s remarks launching the Sharjah Innovation Award on Tuesday. The Dhs100,000-award is aimed at encouraging a spirit of innovation and scientific enterprise in the Emirate. The Sharjah Innovation Award seeks to achieve these formidable goals and inspire and reward groundbreaking initiatives by individuals and organisations, establishing a creative community capable of keeping pace with the rest of the world and create a road map for the future.

The Crown Prince of Sharjah lauded the constant support and encouragement provided by Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah His Highness Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohamed Al Qasimi for the scientific innovation and groundbreaking initiatives in the Emirate.

He pointed out that under the leadership of the Ruler of Sharjah, the Emirate has been sparing no effort to encourage the spirit of innovation in all spheres of public life with special attention being paid to developing expertise and building external research partnerships.

He appreciated the continuing efforts of the Ruler of Sharjah to establish world-class scientific research institutes, universities and colleges that act as incubators of bright new ideas and scientific inventions and innovations empowering new generations with both science and world-class education.

The Crown Prince expressed his confidence that the Sharjah Innovation Award would help bolster the scientific strategies and innovation movement in the Emirate and the country within the framework of the national objectives of the UAE. The concept can grow to help many more SMEs and match the challenges of a fast-changing world with a quantum leap in services in all sectors across the Emirate, he added.

The announcement follows the formation of the Higher Committee to supervise the activities of the UAE Innovation Month in Sharjah, in a meeting held at the Ruler’s Office on Tuesday. The Sharjah Innovation Award is to be organised under the patronage of the Crown Prince of Sharjah

The UAE Innovation Month initiative seeks to support and motivate innovators to consistently present a range of inventive solutions and help the promotion of competitive abilities to achieve sustainability and adoption of the concept as an effective and everlasting culture in the Emirate.

The Sharjah Innovation Award will be presented by the Sharjah Executive Council (SEC) and managed by the Higher Committee supervising the activities of the UAE Innovation Month in Sharjah. The total value of the award is Dhs100,000 which will be divided between the first three winners and offered in several categories, including students from higher education, government, semi-government and private institutions.

All contestants can join the competition individually and collectively with an aim to encourage involvement and focus on best and viable innovative projects that can contribute to the advantage of the Emirate. 

The general rules of the competition stipulate that all entries should submit their participation application forms online through https://innovation.shj.ae .

The jury shall focus on specific evaluation of key points, namely, scope of proposal, originality of the creative idea, level of invention, impression of evaluation, outcome of its application and the patent right of an idea/concept or a scientific research as may have previously been published with regard to the same project.

The first edition of Sharjah Innovation Award is meant to enhance the innovation awareness, which is one of the six key elements that have been incorporated in the UAE Vision 2021 under the theme “United in Knowledge”. The closing date for submission is December 15, 2019.