Today, key global and regional industry leaders came together to share insights and best practise to drive innovation in the UAE. The inaugural event, Innovation Live!, in association with Dubai Chamber is an official anchor of this week’s widely celebrated UAE Innovation week, and aims to support the National Innovation Strategy and the UAE Vision 2021.

Opening the event, Richard Thompson, editorial director at MEED took to the stage to welcome the event’s distinguished guests with a bold statement: “Today we are going to change the world, and we need to tell the world what is going on here in the UAE.  Innovation is a core driver towards the country’s economic diversification and growth, there is an opportunity for industries to further collaborate on an international scale and accelerate change for the benefit of future generations.”

During the first keynote about Dubai Expo’s role in promoting the UAE as one of the most innovative economies in the coming years, Her Excellency Reem Ebrahim Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation; Director General, Expo 2020 Dubai Bureau stated: “We need new and innovative ways of thinking about our lives and our world more urgently today than even since the industrial revolution.

“His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai launched our new National Innovation Strategy in September 2014. The overall aim was simply stated, to make the UAE into one of the world’s most notable innovation leaders by the time of our golden jubilee.

“We have shown that we have the vitality and the drive to take a dream and make it simultaneously solid, dynamic and impressive, and it’s in that same spirit that we are approaching Expo 2020,” continued H.E Al Hashimy.

The event was opened by H.E. Majid Saif Al Ghurair, Chairman, Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: “With this Innovative Live! Summit we aim at creating a systematic platform for the private and public sectors to collaborate and work closer together to achieve Dubai’s vision of becoming the world’s most innovative city. The local business community has realised the importance of innovation, and is now actively working to improve research and development capacities and adopt new technologies but the need also is to invest more into skills and resources and create a corporate culture that encourages innovative thinking.

“As a representative of the private sector, Dubai Chamber has launched several initiatives to put businesses on the right track to developing their own innovation strategies including the Innovation Index to stimulate innovation and global practices within the local business community as well as the Dubai Chamber Innovation Lab and the DubaiStartupHub, both of which have been essential to supporting and growing the local entrepreneurial and SME ecosystem,” said H.E. Al Ghurair

To deliver the event’s international keynote, Guy Kawasaki, Apple Fellow and Silicon-Valley based Author Innovation Evangelist and Entrepreneur talked about embracing the art of innovation: “Great innovation occurs because people ought to make meaning to change the world and if you look at the great companies out of silicon Valley or any part of the world the great companies inevitably  make people happier, more creative or more productive. The companies that truly make people have a better life, they make meaning and also make money, so I’ve come to the conclusion that if you make meaning then you will probably also make money. The key there is to start with making meaning. Great innovation occurs when you are not content to do things 10% or 15% better, great innovations occurs when you’re getting to the next curve.”

Kawasaki closed by offering the audience, consisting of public and private sector attendees advice: “The most important thing is a great school of engineering, if you have a great school of engineering. These students will become engineers and by definition they will want to make stuff, some stuff will be great – that’s the core. The key is to support the engineering department of your schools.”

Bibop G. Gresta, HyperloopTT Co-Founder and Chairman commented on the company’s participation in the Summit: ”We are delighted and honoured to be a part of Innovation Live! — working together to find solutions in the sustainable energy, smart cities, transport education, healthcare, and industrial diversification sectors.

“Innovation and collaboration are at the heart of HyperloopTT — from the history of our beginning to our structure to our methodology, we are focused on creating meaningful solutions to deliver a wide spectrum of game-changing technological breakthroughs. Our participation in Innovation Live! underscores our belief at HyperloopTT in the importance of public-private collaboration in order to drive continuous innovation.”

The inaugural Innovation Live! Summit is part of a long term Innovation Live! initiative enabling innovation by aligning government and business to address challenges, facilitate change and showcase cutting edge innovation through a multi-platform engagement plan.

As an anchor event of UAE Innovation Week, the Innovation Live! summit is being facilitated by MEED  in association with  Dubai Chamber, in partnership with Health Authority – Abu Dhabi (Healthcare Innovation Partner), Dubai Airport Freezone Authority, Dubai Electricity & Water Authority, Emirates Foundation, Federal Transport Authority, Masdar Institute and Smart Dubai (Strategic Partners); Hitachi (Social Innovation Partner); Bentley Systems, Honeywell, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, GE, PepsiCo, Valiant Clinic (Platinum Partners); Atkins, DuBox, Lafarge Holcim, Visa, SAP (Gold Partners); Autodesk, Esri, Pfizer (Silver Partners), Barco, B.U.T, Howdy (Experience Partners); UBER (Technology Transport Partner).

For further details on Innovation Live! Visit www.innovation.live