Ericsson, Launches Together Apart Hackathon To Boost Innovation In Line With The UAE National Vision 2021

Under the patronage of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ministry of Economy, Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) announces the launch of its Together Apart Hackathon, taking place between April 22^nd, 2021 to March 31^st, 2022. The Hackathon aims to accelerate the journey towards a more connected future and solving global challenges.

The Together Apart Hackathon aims to attract new ideas and stimulate innovations in the target verticals, by engaging with the innovators, disruptors and creative people of the UAE to build technology-based solutions aligned with the UAE vision 2021 showcasing the power of 5G.

Participants will seek to find innovative solutions in the six broad themes of UAE’s Vision 2021 – World Class Healthcare and Wellbeing, First Rate Education System: The Ease Of Learning and Access to Education – future of education, Competitive Knowledge And Digital Economy, Sustainable Environment And Infrastructure, Safe Public and Fair Judiciary, and Cohesive Society and Preserved Identity Transcending Physical Borders. The hackathon is open to all professional developers, programmers, designers, engineers, technopreneurs, university students and creative individuals from all private and public institutions based in the UAE. The program kicks off with a call for ideas starting today, wherein interested participants can register online to submit their pitches. Top five ideas from each theme will be shortlisted to participate in the hackathon.

In addition, webinars will be carried out to inspire, educate and prepare the participants with the necessary skills for the idea development starting April 22^nd. These webinars will be open to the public and registration is available on the following link: https://www.ericsson.com/en/events/together-apart-hackathon. A distinguished group of speakers will participate in the event, where relevant topics will be discussed to inspire innovators and change-makers in the country.

H.E. Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and Small and Medium Enterprises said that the launch of this innovative hackathon represents an advanced and fruitful example of the well-established partnership between the public and the private sector in supporting and developing the innovation environment in the country, especially by linking it to the goals of the national agenda for the UAE Vision 2021. It is expected that a broad range of vital sectors will benefit from the innovative ideas that will be discussed and produced by this distinguished event. His Excellency emphasized the Ministry of Economy’s support of this leading event for Ericsson and will continue its efforts to support the various efforts made by the private sector in various innovative fields.

His Excellency added: “Innovation is an essential element and a catalyst of the UAE economy and its plans for future economic and social development. Motivating innovators to discuss and develop the best technological solutions and creative ideas will contribute to creating a rich environment for the transition to a new level of a knowledge economy based on creativity, inventions, information and communication technology, and research and development activities. For individuals and companies, we, at the Ministry of Economy, are keen to sponsor and support such leading initiatives and events, which can enhance the position of the UAE as a destination for creators and encourage citizens and residents to establish innovation-based companies in the UAE in various fields, especially in the sectors of the new economy that serve the development targets of the UAE.”

Wojciech Bajda, Vice President and Head of Gulf Council Countries at Ericsson says: “Ericsson is excited to support UAE’s vision by playing a key role in sparking innovation in the country.  The hackathon is being driven by Ericsson’s UAE Innovation Hub and is evidence of the company’s firm commitment to the UAE and towards accelerating the journey of digital transformation in the country.We are confident that this Hackathon will provide a platform to encourage the best minds in the country to come forward to develop solutions for the benefit of the UAE. The UAE’s digital evolution correlates with our goal to drive technological advancement and accelerate sustainable development in the country. We also aim to work with the winners to turn their ideas into reality.”

A total of six winning teams will be chosen – one winning team from each focus area in UAE Vision 2021. The six winning teams will receive support in testing their solutions and will also be given the chance to showcase their solutions at the Swedish Pavilion in Expo2020. One team will receive the grand prize to visit Ericsson’s headquarters in Sweden to pitch the team’s solution and interact with the entrepreneurial community.

Maya Moukbel, Head of Innovation,Ericsson Middle East and Africa says: “This is an exciting moment and initiative for the Ericsson Innovation Hub in the UAE. From the Innovation Hub we will drive the Together Apart Hackathon to tap into the talent here in the UAE to create and spur ideas and solutions that will evolve the UAE’s digital landscape.Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and communications infrastructure is a vital component in the digital aspirations of the country and the Innovation Hub UAE will bring together a broad ecosystem to guide the ways in which we can build the nation further together.”