The Integration of Innovation - Sharjah
A glimpse into a knowledge-centered city
In pursuit of knowledge; the emirate of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates has been in a long and exciting journey; a fruitful one that helped develop the community as a whole, as well as making it a leader in many fields. In 1932, Sharjah opened the first airport in the Arabian Gulf; the first weather forecast station in the UAE and Oman in 1934; and the first Cinema in the region which was established in 1949. Today, Sharjah is known as the City of Knowledge; a well-deserved title that was earned by numerous efforts by the Sharjah Government under the great vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Al Qasimi.
In 2010, the United Arab Emirate initiated the 2021 vision “United in Knowledge”, that aims to achieve a knowledge-based economy driven by innovation. In the country’s adaptation of this vision, it has successfully developed a national cadre that is capable of innovating and well-knowledged in their respectful fields. The country was also capable of integrating innovative solutions and functionalities in the government sector and its services, making the UAE in the top 3 innovation economies in the Northern Africa and Western Asia region and 34th globally in 2020, according to the Global Innovation Index.
Knowledge – The Core of Innovation
“The civilization of people is measured by their contributions to knowledge” - H.H. Sheikh Dr. Sultan Al Qasimi.
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The journey of innovation integration into the culture of an organization is not a simple task. However, Sharjah aims to develop a culture of innovation and knowledge sharing between government entities, businesses, as well as individual residents of the emirate. One of the initiatives that supports this goal is the “Sharjah Innovation Award”, a unique award that does not only focus on innovations and harnessing ideas from government entities and businesses, but also from individuals residing in the emirate, which helps in creating a culture of innovation in the community while finding creative solutions to progress the society. Furthermore, under the vision of H.H. Sheikh Sultan Al Qasimi, the government of Sharjah established some of the leading universities in the region in accordance with global standards and created initiatives such as “The Knowledge without Borders” with an aim to promote a culture of reading by the distribution of books to local household in Sharjah. In 2019, Sharjah was nominated and named World Book Capital of the year by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in recognition of the city’s comprehensive, innovative, and inclusive proposals, focused on the engagement of all members of the community with the goal of empowering it and strengthen the nation and region through literature.
The Revival of a Middle-Eastern Jewel – The House of Wisdom
Following the UNESCO Award in 2019; the emirate initiated an innovative project by the name of House of Wisdom; a cultural hub that takes its name from an 8th century library in Baghdad. The project was completed and inaugurated in December 2020; bursting with state of the art technologies that you will not find in your traditional library, it is technologically advanced in many ways. For example, booking a meeting room or a “Pod” or even a parking space is through an app; there is also an automated robot that can guide you through a tour, and assist you around the library; the facility also hosts a “Espresso Book Machine” a Print-on-Demand book station which can print out a book in minutes from its data base which holds thousands of titles. Additionally, the hub also contains a fabrication lab that is equipped with multiple 3D printers, and laser and vinyl cutting machines; furthermore, people that are interested in learning on how to use these technologies can also attend training sessions on 3D printing, laser cutting machines, as well as innovation workshops that stimulates creativity.
An Innovative Eco-system
The Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation Park, SRTIP in short, is a unique project established 2016 to be a gateway of innovation and research for the emirate and its community. Located within a free zone, the park aims to develop and manages an innovation ecosystem that promotes research and development as well as connecting and building collaborations between different establishments with government entities and universities around the emirate. Furthermore, the park research aim is to advance the emirate in different fields such as the development of different water technologies and solutions; product, design and architecture, the integration of renewable energy, environmental technologies; as well as transportation and logistics advancement.
Through the steady growth of a knowledge-centered economy, and the projects that aim to develop the culture of innovation and knowledge in the emirate; establishments like the Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation Park, the House of Wisdom, and the University City along with its prestigious universities, assures a stable growth in knowledge and progress in the adaptation and creation of innovative ideas and solutions.
Sharjah is on the right track to be a leading innovation hub, a knowledge center, and a seamless governmental experience integrated with innovation throughout the services provided.