Innovation Week 2024 Kicks Off

Doha: The Innovation Week 2024 kicked off Sunday under the theme of 'Digital Creativity and Its Applications in the Fields of Electricity and Water' at the Rixos Gulf Hotel in Doha. The event is being organized by Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa), represented by Creativity, Innovation, and Scientific Research Incubator. The initiative coincides with World Creativity and Innovation Day on April 21 and aims to promote a culture of creativity and innovation among Kahramaa's employees, encouraging them to adopt and develop new innovations that enhance work efficiency and performance across all departments within the corporation. Innovation Week continues over the course of four days, encompassing a diverse program. On the first day, Kahramaa employees are invited to attend the event either in person at the hotel or remotely. They will have the opportunity to hear from inspiring speakers, including representatives from Kahramaa, other institutions, and key partners such as the Qatar Re search, Development, and Innovation Council (QRDI), Microsoft Qatar, and Google Qatar. Additionally, supporting partners from companies like Siemens, Schneider, EY, Deloitte, and Elev 8 will be present. The event will feature a presentation on Qatar's Innovation Strategy, as well as discussions on the utilization of artificial intelligence in the fields of electricity and water, along with insights into modern technologies. The second and third days of the Innovation Week, dedicated to pre-selected Kahramaa employees, will include workshops conducted by Microsoft and Google focusing on digital innovation, specifically linking it to operational processes in Kahramaa. The fourth day features the Hackathon Competition, aimed at fostering a culture of creativity and innovation among 100 talented Kahramaa employees representing various departments within the corporation. Participants will collaborate in teams to propose tangible ideas that can be applied across different operational processes. A panel of expert judges will select the top three ideas, and the winning teams will be honored during this Hackathon, which is the first of its kind within Kahramaa during this period. Head of the Creativity, Innovation, and Scientific Research Incubator, Eng. Rashid Al Rahimi stated in his opening speech for Innovation Week 2024, "over the next four days, we will explore new opportunities together, learn from our past experiences, and seek ways to collaborate with our partners in the field of digital technologies, Microsoft Qatar and Google Qatar. We will focus on how to apply these technologies to enhance our electricity and water services, ensuring the highest quality for our subscribers while preserving the environment and achieving sustainability". "We live in an era full of challenges and opportunities, and innovation is the key to success in facing these challenges, especially concerning business development," he said, adding that this is the role played by the Creativity, Innovation, and Scientific Research Incubato r at Kahramaa. "It is an initiative aimed at supporting new research ideas and projects by Kahramaa employees, with the goal of transforming them into tangible projects. Through this incubator, employees and partners can contribute their ideas and collaborate to enhance and develop them. The incubator reflects our commitment to promoting innovation and encouraging creativity across all aspects of our work," he added. This initiative is part of the Third National Development Strategy (2024-2030), which aims to position Qatar as a globally leading provider of government services to citizens, residents, companies, and institutions. It also seeks to achieve excellence in the field of digital governance. The Creativity, Innovation, and Scientific Research Incubator, established by Kahramaa in 2017 and restructured in September 2021, now integrates both innovation and scientific research under one umbrella, previously separate entities. It has achieved remarkable milestones during this relatively short period. T hese accomplishments include conducting over 42 scientific research projects within the corporation and collaborating with universities and various research institutes. Adopting 7 new creative ideas, which were transformed into impactful and distinguished projects in collaboration with the Qatar Research, Development, and Innovation Council (QRDI) and other institutional partners. Creativity, Innovation, and Scientific Research Incubator is committed to a five-year strategy focused on research, development, and innovation. This strategy aims to drive the corporation's innovation, and encourage our employees and partners to work toward strategic research and innovation goals within Kahramaa. Source: Qatar News Agency