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GovTech Innovation Forum & Awards looks to a ‘reimagined future'
GovTech Innovation Forum & Awards looks to a ‘reimagined future'

Tahawul Tech

time3 days ago

  • Business
  • Tahawul Tech

GovTech Innovation Forum & Awards looks to a ‘reimagined future'

The GovTech Innovation Forum & Awards 2025 was held recently at the splendid Ritz Carlton JBR, Dubai under the theme of 'Reimagining the future of tomorrow with AI'. The awards are designed to celebrate the incredible achievements of those in our public sector, who every single day are leveraging the power of technology to improve the lives of every citizen across the UAE. Winners must demonstrate that they have executed their projects in uncommon, innovative ways: pioneering a new technology, applying a familiar technology to a new purpose and setting the bar higher for their competitors. Attendees were also provided with unique access to network with some of the most prominent individuals that work for government entities from across the UAE in addition to witnessing several keynote presentations and on-stage discussions. The event began with a welcome note by CNME editor Mark Forker, which was then followed by two back-to-back keynote speeches from Rehan Shahid, Regional Channel & Alliances Manager – Middle East & Pakistan, Hitachi Vantara and Thomas Rizkallah, Regional Sales Director – MENA, CITRIX respectively. Following these addresses, the event moved into its panel discussion for the evening moderated by Mark Forker titled 'Exploring the Future of AI Governance in the UAE: Challenges, Opportunities, and Global Leadership'. The panellist present included Anas Elsadig Eltahir, Francois Van Deventer, Director & CTO – Emerging Markets at CITRIX, Dr. Jassim Haji, President for the International Group of Artificial Intelligence and Renan De Lima, Solutions Consultant at Hitachi Vantara. During the panel they explored the need for greater AI governance frameworks, the impact of the US-UAE Stargate Initiative, and the challenge posed by a skills shortage when it comes to AI. Prior to starting the awards ceremony there was one last keynote speech by Ahmed Soliman, Country Manager at Pure Storage, followed by a presentation by Ekta Puthran, Sales & Regional Marketing Director, Barco and Georges Lemire, Area Vice President, EMEA, Neat. The pre-awards proceedings concluded with a fireside chat between Wolfgang Kroj, GM Sales, Middle East and Africa, Hitachi Vantara and Mark Forker. Wolfgang was excited about the 'pace' of AI, the importance of strong leadership and the need to understand the concept of 'cultural intelligence'. Kausar Syed, Group Publishing Director at CPI Media Group, said the event was a celebration of the extraordinary progress and success that has been by public sector across the UAE over the last 12 months. 'In other markets across the world, people look to the private sector to innovate and create, but across the Middle East, and especially in the UAE, it is the public sector, and the vision of the government that inspires so much entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation and weaves that into every fabric of our society. The remarkable success of government tech entities across the UAE stands as a testament to the nation's vision for a digitally empowered future. These organizations are not only setting new benchmarks for innovation and efficiency but are also inspiring a global shift toward smarter governance,' said Syed. The Winners of the GovTech Innovation Forum & Awards 2025 included: IT Team Excellence of the Year – Dubai Airports Ajman IT Department of the Year – Department of Digital Ajman AI Implementation of the Year – Dubai Police Government IT Leader of the Year – Dr. Majeda Mohamed Al Marzooqi from EDGE Group PJSC Ras Al Khaimah IT Department of the Year – Public Services Department, Government of Ras Al Khaimah Customer Happiness Entity of the Year – Roads & Transport Authority (RTA), Government of Dubai Government IT Trailblazer of the Year – Zainab Alnajjar from Al Kuwait Hospital Dubai, Emirates Health Services Government Pioneer of the Year – Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) Sharjah IT Department of the Year – Sharjah Airports Sustainable IT Leader of the Year – Farah Alsheraifi from Daman Health Digital Transformation Enabler for Public Sector – Citrix Data-Centric Security Leader of the Year – Seclore Excellence in AI-Ready Infrastructure – Hitachi Vantara Technology Business Leader of the Year – Feras Al Jabi from ITQAN Al Khaleej Computers Best AI Analytics Solution Provider of the Year – Raqmiyat Most Innovative AI Powered Pro AV Solutions Provider of the Year – Avientek Woman in Government of the Year – Her Excellency Mubaraka Ibrahim from Emirates Health Services Record Braker Personality of the Year – Fady Richmany from Commvault Dubai IT Department of the Year – Dubai Air Navigation Services (dans) Pioneer Woman of the Year in Government Leadership – Aisha Awadh Alhemeiri from the Department of Community Development, Government of Abu Dhabi AI for Good Award – Dubai Future Foundation Digital Transformation Project of the Year – Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) Knowledge and Innovation Leader of the Year – Jinson Pappachan from Emirates Policy Center Umm Al Quwain IT Department of the Year – Smart Umm Al Quwain Government IT Leader of the Year – Abdalla Al Ali from Dubai Multi Commodities Centre Authority (DMCC) Mobile App of the Year – The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) Public and Private Partnership of the Year – Emirates Integrated Registries Company (EIRC) Excellence in Talent Leadership Award – Rayan Awad from Ports & Customs Freezone Corporation Innovative Initiative of the Year – The Ministry of Community Empowerment Best AI Innovation of the Year for Business Transformation – The Ministry of Finance – United Arab Emirates Future IT Leader of the Year – Eng. Hamda AlMaazmi from the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) Best AI Implementation of the Year in Education – His Highness Sheikh Nasser Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Centre Best AI Governance Framework of the Year – Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, Government of Dubai Smart City Initiative of the Year – Abu Dhabi Mobility Knowledge and Innovation Excellence – Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO) Government Leader of the Year – Anas Elsadig Eltahir Image Credit: CPI Media Group

Firm behind wireless alert buzzer for seniors wins DBS award; device coming to more rental flats
Firm behind wireless alert buzzer for seniors wins DBS award; device coming to more rental flats

Straits Times

time3 days ago

  • Business
  • Straits Times

Firm behind wireless alert buzzer for seniors wins DBS award; device coming to more rental flats

The button lets seniors – particularly those living alone or without family support – reach emergency services with a single press. ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH Firm behind wireless alert buzzer for seniors wins DBS award; device coming to more rental flats SINGAPORE – A local firm has clinched a contract potentially worth more than $50 million to extend its emergency buzzer system for seniors to 170 additional rental blocks over the next five years, after a successful pilot since 2019. The wall-mounted, wireless red button lets seniors – particularly those living alone or without family support – reach emergency services with a single push. The expanded roll-out is part of a second contract awarded to Singapore-based tech firm iWow Technology in early 2025 by the Government Technology Agency (GovTech) to procure wireless alert devices for more seniors in Housing Board rental flats over the next five years. The devices are developed by Buddy of Parents (BOP) – a subsidiary company of iWow – which on May 29 received a $1 million grant under DBS Foundation's Impact Beyond Award for its efforts to support seniors and caregivers through smart technology. The award will support the development of new products and the firm's outreach to vulnerable seniors and international growth, said BOP executive director Chen Jer Yaw. Mr Chen said: 'As part of the grant, there are milestones that we will have to hit, such as the number of people (who will benefit from) our products and services... We are committed to fulfilling these milestones and to support more seniors.' The company will focus on the distribution of emergency buzzers for HDB, which is expanding its initiative to provide wireless alert devices to seniors. Some 36,800 seniors aged 60 and above are expected to have the devices installed for free by 2030, according to a spokesperson in a joint statement by HDB and GovTech. As at February, at least 10,000 seniors living in 50 public rental blocks have had the wireless devices installed, the spokesperson added. Seniors with older models will soon receive a new device, which has improved durability and performance. Each BOP button is connected to a 24-hour hotline, giving vulnerable seniors, especially those who live alone or lack family support, a way to seek help in life-and-death situations. (From left) BOP executive director and iWow senior vice-president Chen Jer Yaw, iWow CEO and executive director Raymond Bo and iWow chief marketing officer Ashokan Ramakrishnan with the new wireless alarm system for seniors. ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH The alert alarm devices have been triggered around 20,200 times since the system's roll-out to rental flats in November 2019, according to HDB and GovTech. Roughly 1,600 required emergency help, while the rest were non-urgent calls or accidental presses , they said . The button is an upgrade of an older pull-cord system, which seniors use to activate an alarm at their block's void deck to alert people in the vicinity or an active ageing centre during working hours. The new devices come with better batteries that exceed five years, and two-way voice calling for users to speak to operators over the phone. They are also resistant to water and dust – a requirement under GovTech's tender – so the devices can be placed reliably in bathrooms, where the risk of falls is higher. Announced by iWow in February, the contract with GovTech includes the option to purchase its fall detector module and portable alert device over the next 10 years. BOP's catalogue of devices includes a wall-mounted infrared scanner with image-recognition software to tell when someone has fallen and is in need of assistance. The DBS Foundation also gave the Impact Beyond Award to three other businesses, which are tackling urgent needs among ageing residents, from nearly 100 submissions worldwide. One of them is Hong Kong's Evercare Health – a health tech platform which developed a mobile app for patients and caregivers to schedule appointments, contact staff members and make payment. The award will support the firm's development of artificial intelligence-powered medical notes to improve the efficiency of healthcare services. Another award recipient is India's Life Circle Health Services, which operates a mobile app that connects families with trained caregivers based on their needs. DBS has disbursed $21.5 million in grant funding to more than 160 social enterprises and recipients since 2015. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.

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