Over 500 Submissions to Edge of Government Innovation Awards
As the innovation landscape continues to change at a frenetic pace, the seventh edition of the World Government Summit (WGS 2019) will raise the bar higher than ever before with its Edge of Government innovation award, set to unveil an array of creative solutions proposed by governments from across the globe to complex issues that affect billions of lives.
The 2019 edition of the award has received over 560 entries from 84 countries. Each entry focuses on the positive impact the policy-making initiatives of governments have had on citizens as the key beneficiaries of these initiatives.
The award, an integral part of the event’s annual calendar, aims to acknowledge outstanding examples of government innovation and reinforce the UAE’s status as a global innovation hub, particularly in the government sector.
Government entities from across the continents make up the finalists that will be represented at the three-day summit, set to run from February 10 to 12 at Madinat Jumeirah. The winning innovation will be chosen from the exhibits comprising the Edge of Government experience during WGS 2019.
Speaking on this year’s award, Her Excellency Huda Al Hashimi, Assistant Director-General for Strategy and Innovation at the Prime Minister’s Office, said: “In today’s world of rapid change and technological advancement, government-led innovation is more important than ever before. As is evident in the UAE, it is paramount for governments to come up with out-of-the-box solutions to improve people’s lives and change the world for the better. WGS is a global laboratory that examines innovative solutions to today’s issues and forecasts their future impact on human beings.”
She added: “This year, we have received an impressive range of entries driven by bright ideas that were both insightful and inspiring. Through the Edge of Government Innovation Award, we take a journey from the dark into the light by navigating ambiguity, adopting a higher level of tolerance for uncertainty, exploring creative solutions to the challenges ahead of us, and harnessing the power of technology to create a better tomorrow for the global citizen.”
A distinguished jury, comprising members of the International Advisory Board of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation (MBRCGI) as well as renowned innovation experts from leading international organizations and the private sector, evaluated the entries based on three criteria:
Novelty – degree of newness and uniqueness associated with the innovation
Replicability – the innovation’s potential for replication in other countries and regions
Impact – magnitude and scope of government improvement attributable to the innovation
Furthermore, the Observatory of Public Sector Innovation (OPSI), a flagship initiative of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), has partnered with MBRCGI to conduct a global review of the ways in which governments are transforming their operations and improving the lives of their citizens through innovation.
The World Government Summit 2019 will run from February 10 to 12 at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai. The landmark event is set to convene more than 4,000 participants from 140 countries, including heads of state and governments, as well as top-tier representatives of 30 international organizations.
