The Emirates ICT Innovation Center (EBTIC), which is based at the Khalifa University of Science and Technology, has announced the launch of the EBTIC Innovation Club (EBTIC-IC) – a dynamic networking platform dedicated to thought leadership and knowledge development in innovation and entrepreneurship in Abu Dhabi and the UAE.
The EBTIC-IC aims to stimulate homegrown innovation with interactive events open to students, professionals, academics and government officials. It also plans to facilitate the growth of communities of start-ups by leveraging EBTIC partners and customer base.
The club will kick-off on Wednesday, 20 September, at the Khalifa University of Science and Technology’s main campus, with a workshop of interactive lectures. The lectures will be given by experts from EBTIC partners, including Mike Hodgson, Head of Innovation Engagement at British Telecommunications (BT); Ahmad Abugosh, Learning and Development Manager at AstroLabs, a regional co-working space and learning academy for digital technology companies; and Francesco Furnari, Founder of Milan-based digital design integrator company Clarity International.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Nawaf Al Moosa, Deputy Director of EBTIC said: “The EBTIC Innovation Club has been established at a critical stage in the development of Abu Dhabi and the UAE’s knowledge economy. We believe now is the perfect time to create a club to gather talented and skilled leaders from academia and industry to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing of expertise with our young people, which will enable them to reach higher professional achievements in the future.”
Serving as a meeting point for leaders across a range of sectors, the EBTIC-IC will support participants to engage and develop a national and international innovation ecosystem through partnerships and venture capital.
The club intends to attract students, academic leaders, officials, and professionals who are interested in learning about innovation concepts and best practices, for which it will organize bootcamps, workshops, and host lectures on innovation management for building technology-driven businesses. EBTIC-IC will also arrange ‘hothouses’, which it defines as an agile innovation process that cuts through the corporate overheads.
The EBTIC-IC is a continuing initiative by EBTIC’s partners to support capacity building and human capital development in the country, as envisioned by the UAE leadership. The club is open to anyone interested in innovation and entrepreneurship.
EBTIC is an information communications and technology (ICT) research and innovation center established by Etisalat, BT, and the Khalifa University of Science and Technology, with the support of the UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority’s ICT Fund.