26 January 2015
Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government and SAP Host Talks on Shared Responsibility of Stakeholders in Uber-Connected Economy

Dubai - Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government (MBRSG), a research and teaching institution focusing on public policy in the Arab world, in conjunction withSAP, market and technology leaders in client/server enterprise application software, discussed citizen-centricity in a hyper networked economy at the first session of the Innovation Day series.

Thepanel session was strategically timed to coincide with the recently launched strategy of His Highness Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to make the UAE one of the most innovative nations in the world within the next seven years.
The first day of the thought sessions converged experts from the innovative technology space, including Danny van Heck, General Manager of Public Services- EMEA at SAP, and Steve Hurst, North American Lead for Digital Government at Accenture. The speakersshared insights on engaging citizens in the process of services designs and delivery and meeting the ever-increasing expectations of today's techno-savvy citizens.  

The Innovation Day series, aimed at public sector employees, is designed to provide latestupdates on the growth and development of smart cities and governments.The sessions tackle topical issues such as the growing importance of mobility, cloud, mobile apps, Big Data, social media, and business analytics in the context of SAP's forecast that 50 billion devices will be inter-connected via the Internet of Things by 2020.

"Mobile apps are transforming fields such as education, healthcare, job creation, tourism, and government services," said Danny van Heck, General Manager of Public Services - EMEA, SAP. "Middle East governments can leverage the Networked Economy and new smartphone capabilities to transform citizen-centric mobile apps from transactional,like paying utility bills, to personalized, such as resolving real estate issues via video-conferencing, or providing location-based smart parking services. To further enhance services, government agencies need to break down silos, provide open data, and foster public-private partnerships to meet citizens' needs."

Dr Ali Sebaa Al Marri, Executive President, MBRSG, said: "Governments need to implement consistent and holistic processes for all services and programs to reduce inefficiency and increase resource flexibility. In light of the changing digital and urban landscape that is diminishing the gap between the public sector and its citizens, we have ensuredour Innovation Day session is built around a 'citizen-centric' theme. We are confident about the power of collaboration in driving innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainable transformation of the UAE- and delightedthat this session has drawn the participation of key stakeholders who aspire to achievethe same goals."

The Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government is committed to promoting good governance through enhancing the region's capacity for effective public policy. The school uses a four-pronged approach, which includes applied research in public policy and management, academic programs in public policy and administration, executive education programs and knowledge forums for scholars and policy makers.

-Ends-

About SAP
As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP (NYSE: SAP) helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device - SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable more than 258,000 customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably. For more information, visit www.sap.com

Follow SAP on Twitter:
@SAPMENA
@SAPMENANews

Media contacts
Husain Al Tamimi, SAP +971 56 6811641, husain.tamimi@sap.com
Claire McPeak, SAP, +971 4 330 1777, c.mcpeak@sap.com
Steve Baron, Wallis Marketing Consultants, +971 4 390 1950, sap@wallis-mc.com

About The Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government
The Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government (MBRSG) is a research and teaching institution focusing on public policy in the Arab world. Established in 2005 under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, MBRSG aims to promote good governance through enhancing the region's capacity for effective public policy. Toward this goal, the Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government also collaborates with regional and global institutions in delivering its research and training programs. In addition, the School organizes policy forums and international conferences to facilitate the exchange of ideas and promote critical debate on public policy in the Arab world.

Media contacts
HebaShaaban, MBRSG, +9714 3175544 heba.shaaban@mbrsg.ac.ae
Mohammed Al Khatib, MBRSG, +9714 3175505 mohammed.alkhatib@mbrsg.ac.ae
WaelHayatli, Apco Worldwide, +9714 3613590 whayatli@apcoworldwide.com

Follow MBRSG on Twitter
@MBRSG

© Press Release 2015