Bee'ah will participate in a series of "watercoolers" at the Innovation Live! co-creating, hackathon-style event hosted by MEED to be held in Dubai on November 21.

In the context of Innovation Live! and the UAE's Vision 2021, the watercooler think tanks will comprise of industry experts, and leaders from the business and government sectors, convening in curated brain-storming sessions with the aim of overcoming challenges and making policy recommendations.  The think tanks will be aimed at enabling the UAE to make further progress towards meeting the goals set out in Vision 2021.

The UAE is a nation that has always prioritised innovation. Innovation is part of the 'United in Knowledge' pillar of Vision 2021 and is viewed as a primary route by which the UAE can achieve its goals for prosperity and growth. Innovation Live! will serve as a stepping stone towards the UAE Innovation Month,  February 2018, which will empower and inspire innovators from all walks of life in the UAE.

The National Strategy for Innovation which was launched in 2014 formulated strategy tracks which will encourage innovation in the private and public sectors, and in individuals, over the next 7 years. The tracks targeted sectors which were pivotal to innovation, and the watercoolers for the event have been developed in keeping with these identified sectors. The watercoolers in which Bee'ah will be involved are healthcare, digitalisation and waste management, while others covering the topics of education, innovation, entrepreneurship, technology, energy, transportation and space travel will also be held. Parallel to the watercooler meetings, an exhibition will also take place at the venue, at which Bee'ah will be hosting a stand.

Innovation is deeply embedded within the DNA of Bee'ah, whether that is in the provision of technology-led waste management services or in the creation of its new digital venture, Evoteq. In its conscientious efforts to protect the environment and to improve the quality of life, Bee'ah combines the power of innovation with its vast expertise, to develop solutions that are truly one-of-a-kind. Active participation in Innovation Live! was therefore a natural step for the company.

Speaking about Bee'ah's participation in the watercoolers, Khaled Al Huraimel said: "As a company that has placed innovation at the centre of its growth strategy, Bee'ah is well-positioned to examine and recommend pathways for innovation that align with the targets set forth in Vision 2021. As a growing nation, the UAE encounters many challenges that require intuitive action and through platforms like these watercoolers, we can envisage our approach to tackling such situations. By working collectively to address the goals of the different sectors that these segments are dedicated to, I am sure that we will make remarkable headway towards the nation's ambitious vision for the future."

Bee'ah will be the official partner for the waste management watercooler, and will play a pivotal role in leading this particular segment towards identifying strategies by which the UAE can sustainably achieve the Vision 2021 target of treating 75% percentage of the total waste it generates. Senior officers from Bee'ah including Fahad Shehail, the Chief Development Officer, and Daker Rabaya, Managing Director of Waste Processing, Treatment and Disposal, will lead the discussions and recommend solutions inspired by their rich expertise.

Examining the UAE's development into a real-time, connected, digital ecosystem offering seamless individual and business experiences, the digitalisation watercooler will offer actionable insights for decision-makers and drive the regional integration of a digital economy. Bee'ah's participation in this watercooler is enhanced by the recent launch of the company's new digital venture, Evoteq, which aims to facilitate digital transformation for the improvement of quality of life in the nation.

A further area of engagement by Bee'ah at Innovation Live! will be healthcare, where  the company will showcase the revolutionary application, Smart Track, developed by its digital venture, Evoteq. Smart Track uses a track and trace system to monitor the authenticity of supply chains, thus negating the sale of counterfeit drugs within the healthcare ecosystem. Through its participation in this watercooler, Bee'ah will work with other entities to develop a consistent, linked healthcare quality index, in line with the nation's Vision 2021 key performance indicators.

In the weeks prior to the Innovation Live! event, each of the watercooler groups assembled separately in preparatory workshop sessions so that individual members could get to know each other as well as become more familiar with the precise nature of their challenge.

Through concentrated efforts, the UAE has improved its standing in the 2017 Global Innovation Index to the 35th position, and is now ahead of all other Arab countries in the list. Through its focus on innovation, the UAE is enhancing its global competitiveness while encouraging economic development that is independent of the oil sector. This culture of innovation is also an investment for human capital in the UAE, motivating innovative Emiratis to make their contributions to the economy known.