The Mohammed bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation (MBRCGI) has launched a series of ‘Ibtaker' workshops to strengthen innovative thinking and creativity among government officials. The new initiative, which aims to build national capacity and create an integrated environment for governmental officials to uphold a culture of innovation, complements the National Innovation Strategy of the UAE to establish it as one of the world's most innovative governments by 2021.

More than 2,000 federal and local government officials in the UAE will take part in the Ibtaker workshops that flagged off on Thursday, June 11 at the Higher Colleges of Technology - Dubai Men's College. Over 800 government employees from Dubai and Sharjah attended the first session. The second session will be held in HCT-Ras Al Khaimah Women's College on June 21 for government officials from Ras Al Khaimah, Ajman, Umm Al Qaiwain and Fujairah. The third event will be held in Abu Dhabi on June 22 for employees of the federal and local government departments in Abu Dhabi.

The Ibtaker workshops are held in line with the declaration of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE President, of 2015 as the ‘Year of Innovation,' and supports the National Strategy for Innovation launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, which focuses on seven key sectors: renewable and clean energy, transportation, technology, education, health, water and space.

Ibtaker seminars aim to introduce the concept of governmental innovation and its objectives, as well as promote awareness of its importance and tools to drive innovative thinking, by involving the largest number of government employees, and building their capacities and knowledge to work together to achieve the goals of the UAE Vision 2021.

Huda Al Hashimi, Executive Director of MBRCGI, said strengthening government innovation concepts among officials of federal and local government entities, is imperative to build a culture of innovation on a day-to-day basis across all government entities. "The MBRCGI is committed to supporting the government's efforts to create an integrated environment for promoting government innovation as well as the adoption of ideas and their implementation."

She added: "The seminars serve as vibrant platforms to generate innovative ideas by bringing together all federal and local government entities. Ibtaker will inspire them to work as a team in accordance with the vision of the UAE leadership, based on innovation and strengthening governmental efficiency for enhancing the happiness of the people."

Huda Al Hashimi said that the Ibtaker seminars showcase best practices and successful experiences in the field of innovation that contribute to expanding the knowledge horizons of the participants to keep them up-to-date with the latest developments. "It will also accelerate the adoption of an integrated system of modern tools to help government entities to enhance their work and services provided to customers, as well as achieve significant improvements in their policies, processes and procedures, by integrating innovation as part of their organisational culture."

Government Innovation: Concept, Tools & Challenges At the seminar, Dr. Yasar Jarrar, Vice Chair of Global Agenda Council on the Future of Government (World Economic Forum), presented a comprehensive overview of the government innovation concept and its important elements to develop the functioning of governments. He discussed a number of innovative experiments from around the world, and how they were applied in real-life setting. The discussion also included innovation policies, challenges, solutions, and how to convert innovation into an organisational culture.

The seminar addresses the fundamental rules in the field of innovation, and tools used by various nations to enhance their competitiveness. It discusses motivations for change, and the tools of modern government administration, as well as the role and importance of the data in future government.

The framework of Government Innovation MBRCGI team has introduced the framework of government innovation in the UAE. It is one of the essential tools to adopt a culture of innovation in the daily work of the government entities in accordance with the roles, functions and nature of services they offer. The framework serves as a guide on how to employ innovation at work in government entities and its various types and elements. It covers innovation opportunities and challenges, and mechanisms of generating new ideas.

The framework also highlights the role of finance in enhancing the chances of innovation success, and measures the impact of innovation tools that rely on modern standards, and how to apply, as well as gain additional value, cut costs or achieve higher returns.

The Centre has defined the principles and objectives of government innovation in the UAE, and ways to benefit from it in government action enabling authorities to develop and provide the best services and solutions to overcome the challenges of the future. The team also discusses best practices in the application of innovation and its tools.

Ibtaker Box The seminars will offer several innovative tools, including the "Ibtaker Box" fund, which was designed by MBRCGI, and is being distributed to the participants. It has a range of tools to motivate employees to innovate and expand the horizons of their thinking in the field of innovation.

The Centre has urged participants in the seminar to interact with the campaign launched on Twitter using the hashtag (#mbrinnovation) and the official account on Instagram (mbrinnovation), by taking advantage of "Ibtaker Box" tools and to share their experiences and upload photos to promote the culture of innovation.

Ibtaker seminars The Ibtaker seminars are in line with several programmes and initiatives of MBRCGI, and the Diploma in Government Innovation, which host world-class inventors and experts from the UAE.

Innovative Ideas, Innovative Capabilities, Innovative Culture MBRCGI 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 organises 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 specialised institutes.
Source: WAM