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The second day of the UAE Innovation Month in Sharjah, which kicked off on February 8 and will run until February 14 at the Sharjah Book Authority, saw a series of workshops held by international companies, such as Dell Technologies, Amazon, IBM, Twitter, Russian Centre of Digital Innovation and ICT, Google, Intel and others, as well as workshops organised by public and private-sector institutions in the Emirate.
The same day witnessed a visit by Sheikh Saud bin Sultan Al Qasimi, who was briefed on the various participations of government entities. It also saw the presence of His Excellency Dr. Mansour bin Nassar, Director General of the Legal Department at the Office of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, His Excellency Rashid Al Kous, Executive Director of the Emirates Publishers Association, and Saud Salem Al Mazrouei, Director of the Hamriyah Free Zone Authority and Sharjah Airport International Free Zone Authority.
Workshops to Stimulate Creative Thinking
Amazon held a workshop entitled ‘AI and Machine Learning at Amazon Web Services’, while Huawei organised a workshop on ‘Digital Transformation’, and SAP on ‘Using science fiction to explore business innovation’.
Another workshop was held by Dell Technologies under the title of ‘Shaping the future of Higher Education’, emphasising the need to empower Higher Education Institutions to contribute to the shaping of the future of UAE with Digital Transformation Solutions. Meanwhile, a workshop titled ‘Business processes digitalisation for public companies in UAE’ was held by FirstBit to discuss the importance of digitalising business processes in the Digital Age.
NTTC presented a workshop on ‘Immersive training in VR’, while Intel discussed how its AI tools for academia and industry can be utilised to develop and optimise AI/ML workloads in a workshop titled ‘Intel AI Tools for Academia & Industry’.
PWC’s workshop, entitled ‘Blockchain Experience’, aimed to help participants in understanding processes and checks involved in blockchain technology without needing to understand the deeper technical aspects and terminology. Participants left the workshop with an understanding of what the technology is all about, how it works and some of its many potential applications.
Sharjah Municipality held four workshops on day two of the UAE Innovation Month in Sharjah. Among these were ‘Atmo Innovation’, by Eng. Alia Hamdan Al Askar, who shared insights on how to create an atmosphere that stimulates innovation in society, and ‘Invent with the Robot’, by Anfal Hasan and Jawahar Matar, who mentioned ways to teach children the basics of programming in a simple manner. The third workshop, titled ‘Geniuses of Agriculture’, was presented by Alia Al Quraidi, who explained how to properly grow different varieties of plants using innovative methods, while the fourth, titled ‘The Innovative Engineer’, presented by Eng. Shawq Ali Mubarak, involved activities for children, including how to use the tower crane and how to design buildings using tablets, among others.
Afak Al Tamayuz Consulting & Training held a workshop entitled ‘AI Diploma’, explaining the concept of artificial intelligence, as well as its various forms and applications.
Sharjah Police General Headquarters
Sharjah Police General Headquarters participated with four projects: ‘Smart Guard’, a mini police operations room designed to secure and protect sites determined by the police; ‘Protective Backpack’, which is bulletproof and ten times lighter than the regular backpack; ‘Driving Simulator’ for new drivers; and a smart radar for fining modified cars that cause noise.
Sharjah City Municipality
Sharjah Municipality, on the other hand, took part in the event with three projects: ‘Ghaith’, a three-stage project designed for treating rainwater to remove impurities; a VR technology that uses AR to train architecture students and civil engineers to examine and inspect buildings; and ‘Ruwiya’, an initiative that supports sustainability through water recycling.
Sharjah Institute for Heritage
Sharjah Institute for Heritage participated in the UAE Innovation Month in Sharjah with the ‘Hologram of Emirati Crafts’ project, which depicted Emirati arts and crafts for visitors.
Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship
The Authority’s participation was ‘Proactive Services’, an application that uses AI to complete services, such as Emirates ID and other residence-related matters.
Classic Cars Promote for Innovation in Sharjah
Sharjah Classic Cars Club, in collaboration with Sharjah Police, organised a spectacular parade of classic cars under the theme of ‘Sharjah Innovates’. Around 25 classic cars and amateur enthusiasts of classic cars took part in the Classic Cars Parade that started from the Flag Island and concluded at the Sharjah Book Authority.
The Classic Cars Parade was aimed at promoting and celebrating the UAE Innovation Month activities in the Emirate. The grand spectacle of classic cars, most of them a rarity now, wowed motorists and spectators along the way, with many seeking to know the occasion and purpose of the parade. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Ali Ahmed Abu Al Zoud, President of the Sharjah Classic Cars Club, said the Club is pleased to support the UAE Innovation Month in Sharjah initiative.
He asserted that old cars, which are a source of fascination for everyone, help promote different events in the Emirate. The parade is an opportunity for everyone to know about rare and classic cars, as well as learn about the history of their manufacturers, not to mention the chance of snapping selfies with these rare beauties, added Dr Al Zoud. He said that Sharjah Classic Cars Club has been engaged in encouraging and promoting a culture of appreciating and acquiring classic cars in the Emirate.
Saeed Muhammad Bin Ashour, Director of Sharjah Classic Cars Club, said: "The Classic Cars Parade is aimed to promote the values of innovation, culture, creativity and development that were laid down by His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah."
It is worth noting that the total number of participations in the UAE Innovation Month in Sharjah is 80, including 48 by universities, namely the University of Sharjah, the American University of Sharjah, the Higher Colleges of Technology, the Academy of Police Sciences and Al Qasimia University, and 32 by local and federal government entities and private-sector companies in the Emirate.