As part of the UAE Innovation Month in Sharjah

Sharjah, Feb 17, 2018 -   Dr Hanadi Al Suwaidi, an expert on talent and innovation, said the idea of innovation in the UAE was established by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, through the idea of the Union. The expert considered the Union an important innovation that united the country and bolstered its strategic role, while contributing to the unification of the GCC countries, which led to many successive achievements.

Through a workshop she presented yesterday 15 Feb under the title of “Flashes of Innovation” as part of the UAE Innovation Month in Sharjah, Dr Al Suwaidi called for the preservation of Sheikh Zayed’s legacy to introduce present and future generations to a legacy that has contributed to numerous qualitative leaps in many sectors.

The workshop touched upon the vision of the late Sheikh Zayed Al Nahyan in the empowerment of women, which has been reflected in many developments in the women's sector, leading to their political empowerment and assigning them different leadership positions.

Dr Al Suwaidi pointed to the innovative government concept, global innovation competitiveness and Emirates Innovation Index, as well as to the country’s role in upgrading that index. She cited methods and strategies for driving innovation across various institutions and the role of a leader in developing employee creativity and the means of developing projects and ideas at the individual, group and institutional levels.
 
The workshop briefed the audience on the UAE’s leadership in the field of innovation through the establishment of innovative ministries, such as the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Ministry of Happiness, and the integration of youth thought into the leadership of ministerial work.

Dr Al Suwaidi pointed to the UAE's approach to innovation, artificial intelligence and the development of human minds, which the country views as the building blocks of the future.

The expert on talent and innovation talked about the UAE’s Hope Probe, Mars mission and leadership vision that does not accept the idea of impossibility, indicating that creative ideas are produced through employees by developing their skills and the work environment to make it supportive of innovation.

The workshop discussed the characteristics of an innovative personality, mentioning that the construction of innovative ideas begins in the first five years of one’s life, reaching 90 percent at age five and then decreasing by age based on surrounding environment.

“Flashes of Innovation' drew a great amount of interaction from its participants, who eventually came up with new innovative ideas that were later placed on light bulbs to motivate them towards innovation and creativity.