UAE Innovates 2025 Kicks Off, Celebrating Decade Of Innovation, Impact

Mohammad Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, emphasised that the UAE, under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, has successfully transformed innovation from a conceptual framework into tangible applications.

These advancements have not only enhanced government efficiency but also strengthened the UAE’s global competitiveness, improved quality of life, and encouraged active participation from both the private sector and the community in shaping innovative solutions for future challenges.

The UAE Innovation Month, “UAE Innovates 2025,” launching tomorrow, Saturday, under the theme “The Power of 10 – Where Does Your Strength Lie?” serves as a nationwide platform that brings together all segments of society. Over the past decade, UAE Innovates has been instrumental in driving groundbreaking ideas, initiatives, and projects that enhance quality of life. This year’s edition aligns with the leadership’s vision for 2025 as the “Year of Community,” reaffirming the UAE’s commitment to placing people at the centre of progress across various sectors,” Al Gergawi added.

UAE Innovates 2025 also marks a significant milestone, celebrating a decade of innovation in the UAE and coinciding with the tenth anniversary of the Mohammed bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation. The initiative continues to serve as a catalyst for transformative projects that drive national development and position the UAE as a global hub for innovation.

Throughout February, “UAE Innovates 2025” will take place across the seven emirates, featuring hundreds of innovative activities and events, culminating in Dubai with major highlights, including the UAE Innovates Exhibition, which showcases innovations that have positively impacted government work and society over the past decade.

Huda Al Hashimi, Deputy Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Strategic Affairs, emphasised that UAE Innovation Month has been an open platform for the past decade to promote and instill a culture of innovation in both government and society. Over the years, it has evolved from a national initiative celebrating innovation into an environment for developing innovations and transforming inspiring ideas into transformational projects, focusing on enhancing the efficiency of government and private sectors while improving quality of life.

Al Hashimi added that “UAE Innovates 2025” holds special significance this year as it coincides with the 10th anniversary of the establishment of MBRCGI. Since its inception in 2015, the centre has laid the foundation for an advanced culture of government work, leveraging the power of innovation to drive comprehensive government transformation and development, ultimately shaping a future-ready government fuelled by innovative ideas, pioneering projects, and creative minds.

Al Hashimi further noted that adopting “The Power of 10 – Where Does Your Strength Lie?” as the main theme of “UAE Innovates 2025” reflects the UAE government’s approach to sustaining and advancing innovation across all sectors. It translates a visionary leadership outlook that has embedded innovation as a distinctive identity of government work in the UAE. HE called on government entities, private sector institutions, and the community to actively participate in celebrating innovation and its role as a driving force for shaping the future.

The event will feature the “UAE Innovates 2025” Exhibition at The Boulevard at Jumeirah Emirates Towers in Dubai. This will be the largest edition of the exhibition since its inception, showcasing federal and local government entities presenting projects that have demonstrated the power of innovation over the past decade. The exhibition will also celebrate pioneering models and experiences that have positively impacted UAE society.

The fifth edition of the “UAE Innovates” Awards will also be launched, with the winning projects honored during the closing ceremony of “UAE Innovates 2025.”

Award categories include Most Innovative Use of Resources, Most Innovative Digital Transformation, Most Innovative Government Process, Most Innovative Disruptive Project, and Most Innovative Project in Sustainability. Since its inception, the award has also included a category for Most Impactful Social Innovation.

This year’s edition coincides with the declaration of 2025 as the “Year of Community” in the UAE. The evaluation and selection of winning projects will prioritize their impact on various segments of society.

In collaboration with the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Innovation Fund, MBRCGI will organize the sixth edition of the Pitch@Gov Program. This special edition is designed for university students in the UAE and will focus on a single challenge: “Renewable Energy for a Better Life.”

This year’s edition will feature the highest financial support for projects since the program’s inception, offering four winning projects a total of AED200,000. Additionally, winners will have the opportunity to join the Mohammed Bin Rashid Innovation Fund’s accelerator program. The prize distribution includes AED80,000 for first place, AED60,000 for second place, and AED40,000 for third place. A special category prize of AED 20,000 will be awarded for the Best Sustainable Design, Reconnecting Emerging Technologies, and Most Impactful Solution for Society.

The closing ceremony of “UAE Innovates 2025” will take place on 26th February, honouring the winners of the UAE Innovates Awards, recognizing partners and contributors to the success of UAE Innovation Month, and celebrating the innovative models and experiences that have positively impacted UAE society.

It is noteworthy that “UAE Innovates” began in 2015 as UAE Innovation Week, which evolved into UAE Innovation Month in its third edition in 2017. Over the past eight years, it has become the premier event celebrating innovation and innovators while fostering an innovation culture within the community. The event has become a key initiative in the UAE government’s efforts to embed a culture of innovation in the public sector by celebrating achievements and new solutions and positioning the UAE as a global hub for innovation and an environment for developing projects that enhance societal well-being.

Over its past nine editions, UAE Innovation Month has engaged more than 1.5 million members of the UAE community and hosted more than 8,000 events. Over 130 government entities, private sector companies, and academic institutions have participated, with many of the innovative projects and initiatives showcased during the events evolving into new working models that have contributed to the UAE’s development efforts across various fields.

Visit https://uaeinnovates.gov.ae/ to explore the full agenda of the ‘UAE Innovates 2025’ event.