The Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation (MBRCGI) and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Innovation Fund (MBRIF) have today announced the winners of Pitch@GOV at the closing ceremony of the Innovation Month, which is being held this year under the theme “UAE Innovates 2023”.

The competition, launched by MBRCGI and the Ministry of Finance (MoF) through MBRIF, is set to become be a sustainable government initiative aimed at fostering collaboration between government entities, private sector organisations, entrepreneurs, and innovators to promote a culture of innovation in the country.

The competition featured two challenges in collaboration with Emirates Health Services (EHS) and the Roads and Transportation Authority (RTA) in Dubai, with a focus on finding innovative solutions to challenges in the healthcare and transportation sectors.

The competition witnessed more than 100 project entries submitted and 23 of them were short-listed to present at the pitch day. The projects were assessed  based on novelty, replicability, impact, and communication. The winners were chosen by a jury of experts from MBRCGI, MBRIF, EHS, and RTA and were awarded the opportunity to join the MBRIF Accelerator, as well as an initial funding of AED 30,000 each.

“We were honored to witness entrepreneurs breathe new life into ideas holding the power to contribute to the development of the healthcare and transportation sectors in the UAE,” said HE Huda Al Hashimi, Deputy Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Strategic Affairs. “The UAE’s leadership believes in the pivotal role of innovation in advancing comprehensive development, and supporting initiatives aimed at creating a better tomorrow. As such, Pitch@GOV is a platform that supports the goals of the ‘We the UAE 2031’ vision and encourages all entrepreneurs and innovators to be part of the ever-evolving innovation ecosystem in the country. The innovative solutions proposed by the winners of this competition will play a crucial role in advancing the national agenda for innovation by addressing the challenges facing the healthcare and transportation sectors”.

Abdulaziz Waqar won the award in the healthcare category for the innovative project “Mashya”, which provides a tool for evaluating movement and “gait” using the latest technology and AI and aims to rehabilitate patients and improve healthcare inside and outside the hospital. Saif bin Abboud also won in the same category for the “Healing Clouds” project, which is a mental health system that enables individuals to access psychological support while preserving their privacy, by entering the world of metaphysics.

Mohammed Al-Amin Kabbashi won in the transportation category, for his project “Sadeed: Smart Parking”, which is a system for monitoring vehicles in the parking environment by a small-sized, low-energy and cost-effective parking card attached to vehicles that facilitates the process of detecting violations, payment, support and automating parking. Hamid Al Balushi also won the same category for his “Zayed Tree” project, which connects every plate number issued by the RTA to a tree, in order to participate in supporting climate change initiatives, as the tree will create help increase the number of tress in the UAE.

His Excellency Younis Haji Al Khoori, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance, said: “Innovation does not happen in silos, and cannot be confined to public or private sectors alone. Instead, innovation blooms when it is a collective action between all stakeholders – governmental and private entities, entrepreneurs and individuals with creative ideas. The UAE is model to be emulated in successful public-private partnership, as a result of developing an advanced governance framework that defines the roles and responsibilities and allows all parties to cooperate and proactively develop solutions to potential future challenges”.

His Excellency added: “Proactivity in identifying future challenges and turning them into opportunities is the main objective of the second edition of Pitch@GOV. A number of challenges were posed to innovators and entrepreneurs in the UAE that required them to provide comprehensive and creative solutions to enhance healthcare and transportation services in the UAE”.

The challenges posed by the second edition of the Pitch@GOV initiative align with the goals of the ‘We the UAE 2031’ vision to make the UAE one of the top 10 countries globally in the quality of healthcare  and position the Emirati cities among the best 10 cities globally in the quality of life. The EHS presented challenges in promoting healthy lifestyles, proactive emergency monitoring, and enhancing healthcare integration, while the RTA challenged innovators to find customer-centric solutions in the transportation sector, focusing on customer happiness and reducing carbon emissions.

The MBRIF Accelerator focuses on innovation and cooperation and provides world-class services and training to members to accelerate their business, raise capabilities and expertise, improve quality standards, and create added value. Its objectives are in line with the National Innovation Strategy to help innovative companies realise their potential and contribute to shaping the future of the national economy.

For more information on Pitch@GOV, please visit https://pitch.mbrcgi.gov.ae/