Labworx

The Emirati government named the forward-thinking winners of its UAE Innovates 2022 awards last month, with eight projects chosen from among 500 submissions as the most impressive candidates this year. Run by the Mohammed bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation (MBRCGI), the initiative is the largest of its kind.

In its entirety, the event spans the whole of February and encompasses various conferences, activities and, of course, the awards ceremony, which serves as it closing showpiece. Now in its second year, it once again attracted significant interest from academic institutions, members of the public, government departments and the private sector.

Who are the winners?

The winning projects all shared a pioneering use of technology, applying the most cutting-edge digital tools and techniques to modernise certain processes and procedures. While such advances have been seen in the scientific and technological worlds for some time (with the advent of Laboratory 4.0 a prime example of this), these projects brought them into new spheres.

Best Innovation Award for the Automation of Government Procedures

This award was won by the ‘Artificial Intelligence Dementia Diagnosis Project’, which was engineered by Emirates Health Service. Through the use of a five-minute cognitive assessment aided by artificial intelligence, this computer program can greatly accelerate dementia diagnoses.

Best Innovation in Digital Leadership

This award was claimed by the Digital Health Passport Project, which was developed in affiliation with the Dubai Health Authority. By merging real-time data on both public and private health sectors, the digital model can help to inform decision-making at the highest levels.

Most Innovative Use of Resources

This award was won by Forsan Robots, which were developed by the Department of Finance in Ajman and use process automation to keep tabs on how the government’s budget is being allocated.

Most Innovative Government Process

This award was jointly won by the Digital Government Regulatory Authority and the Ministry of Community Development and Telecommunications for their collaborative work on e-connecting 44 different government and municipal entities to facilitate social security information sharing and processing.

Most Innovative Community Services

This award was won by the Comprehensive Childhood Data System, which was developed by the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority. By amassing a mountain of data on a child’s life from all angles, it gives a holistic view of the challenges facing young Emiratis and their families today.

Most Innovative Disruptive Project

This award was shared by two different projects. On the one hand, the Facial Recognition for Remote Digital Verification of Digital Transactions and Identities, developed by the Ministry of the Interior, was recognised for its ground-breaking work in ID and transaction verification. On the other, the Customs Dolphin project (pioneered by Dubai Customs) shared the glory with its dolphin-like robots that monitor naval traffic in the waters around the emirate.

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