Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation Celebrates a Year Packed With Achievement and Success

The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF) has enjoyed a successful 2017 with a track record rife with achievements and success, with the support of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, and the direction of MBRF Chairman H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

The Foundation’s accomplishments reflect its strategic objectives to build knowledge economies that actively contribute to Dubai and the UAE’s progress and sustainable development, in addition to cementing the emirate’s status as a global and regional leader in the knowledge industry.

Fourth Industrial Revolution at the Knowledge Summit 2017

In November 2017, the Foundation organised the fourth edition of the Knowledge Summit under the theme: “Knowledge and Fourth Industrial Revolution”. The conference welcomed decision makers, experts and academics from the knowledge sector in the Arab region and the world to discuss the opportunities and challenges posed by the Fourth Industrial Revolution and its profound impact on societies.

The Summit received great media attention, attracting more than 105 speakers from 23 countries to present new ideas and perspectives on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, in addition to exchanging experiences and exploring best practices.

The 2017 Summit also included the launch of “Knowledge Week” – an integrated knowledge event with a host of activities and workshops – as well as the “Knowledge Ambassadors” initiative, whereby MBRF selects knowledge ambassadors every year to create a global group of activists working to enrich knowledge in Arab societies.

First Global Knowledge Index

At the Knowledge Summit, MBRF revealed the results of the inaugural Global Knowledge Index. The Index was developed in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and seeks to support knowledge projects, as well as economic and community development strategies around the world, while serving as a roadmap for the sustainable development of societies. The final index included 131 countries from all regions of the world and comprises a total of 133 distinct variables, from different sources, and with strict data availability inclusion rules.

Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Award 2017

Furthermore, the Knowledge Summit 2017 included the ceremony to reveal and honour the winners of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Award. The prestigious accolade seeks to support plans and efforts to build the knowledge economy by recognising innovators in the knowledge sector and highlighting their achievements. The winners were Saudi Arabia’s MiSK Foundation, which specialises in developing educational institutions and supporting scientific research; renowned Japanese scientist Hiroshi Komiyama; and Wendy Kopp from the USA, Founder of Teach For America and current CEO and Co-Founder of Teach For All.

Literacy in the Arab World Challenge

The Foundation announced the launch of the “Literacy in the Arab World” project during the opening ceremony of the Knowledge Summit 2017, which aims to reach 30 million young Arabs aged 18 and under by 2030. It is designed to help eradicate illiteracy in the Arab World by providing people with the skills and knowledge needed for them to succeed in a world of rapidly changing technology.

Nobel Museum

MBRF organised the third annual Nobel Museum in Dubai under the theme “The Nobel Prize in Physics | Understanding Matter”. The Foundation has signed an exclusive agreement with the international Nobel Foundation to organise the exhibition in Dubai, making it the first-ever Arab organisation to hold such a high-profile global knowledge event. Focusing on physics, which allows humanity to dissect and understand natural resources, and to invent ways to benefit from them, the Nobel Museum 2017 was made up of eight different sections: Rays and Waves, Matter, Stars and Universe, Quantum Physics, Electronics, Cloud Chamber, Laureate Arena, and VR experience.

#Bil_Arabi: Two Billion Impressions

In its fifth edition, which coincides with the United Nations’ World Arabic Language Day on December 18 of every year, the ‘Bil Arabi’ initiative managed to score more than a billion impressions from all around the world on its social media channels – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and SnapChat. The initiative seeks to preserve the Arabic language and promote its use across social media channels

Smart Reading Library Bags

As part of its contribution to the Year of Giving 2017 initiative, the Foundation distributed 1,000 “Smart Reading Library Bags” to families around the country. The Bags include interactive material to facilitate the learning the reading, numbers, mathematics, science and social studies. An additional 1,000 Bags were distributed in Jordan’s Zaatari camp for Syrian refugees, in collaboration with the Al Jalila Foundation.

Activities for Month of Reading

The Foundation launched a series of activities and initiatives to mark the Month of Reading and promote reading in the UAE, establishing it as a daily habit in society. The UAE Government had announced that March of every year would be celebrated as the national Month of Reading, in line with the National Reading Strategy and following directives from MBRF Chairman H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Masmoou.com Platform

Through its educational arm, Qindeel Educational, MBRF launched Masmoou.com, the region’s largest, most comprehensive audiobook platform, offering a wide variety of e-books, audio content, and online material that cover various subjects and topics. The platform will work to encourage reading in the Arab world, promote the use of Arabic language, and constitute a pioneering step that will enrich online Arabic audio content. It will boost reading, especially among young Arabs, by tapping into modern communication tools and technology. The platform will also play a vital role in supporting talented Arab writers.

Translation Workshop

The Foundation organised the second translation workshop – part of the Dubai International Writing Program – where it enlisted experts in book translation from around the world to train a generation of regional young professionals in the field, and hone their translation and adaptation skills across many disciplines. The initiative seeks to develop knowledge in the Arab world and encourage writing across various sectors. The workshop resulted in several written works from participants, which were published and launched at the Sharjah International Book Fair 2017.

Paralympic Summer Games’ Rulebook in Arabic

The Foundation released the Paralympic Summer Games’ Rulebook in Arabic at the Frankfurt International Book Fair, reaffirming its commitment and responsibility towards all segments of society in line with directives from the UAE leadership. The project was a collaboration between the Foundation and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), in cooperation with the Dubai Club for People of Determination (people with disabilities). The book collection includes 23 separate rulebooks for different sports recognised by the IPC, including: athletics, power lifts for persons with motor disabilities, wheelchair basketball, judo, cycling (track + road), equestrianism, fencing, table tennis, swimming and rugby, among others

Reading Convoy

Also part of the Foundation’s projects for the Month of Reading initiative, the “Reading Convoy” was organised to distribute bundles of books on various topics to Emirati families residing in remote areas of the country. In total, more than 3,000 bundles have been earmarked for distribution, and the Foundation is working to widen the area covered by the initiative in order to reach more villages and cities across the UAE.

Expanding ‘A Book in Minutes’

The Foundation significantly expanded its “A Book in Minutes” initiative in 2017, to cover 140 books in total. The one-of-a-kind initiative seeks to promote reading and spread knowledge to the widest possible audience, in addition to promoting the world’s best-selling books by offering easy-to-read summaries of the books allowing readers to understand the gist of the publication in just a few minutes. “A Book in Minutes” focuses on topics such as positivity, human development, the art of dealing with everyday life, leadership, and family issues.

Strategic Partnerships

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation forged a number of important partnerships in 2017, launching several joint projects and programmes to support its mission of producing and disseminating knowledge. These include agreements with Emirates Scientists Council, Dubai Economic Council, Emirates Islamic Bank, Dubai Corporation For Ambulance Services, and the Securities and Commodities Authority, in addition to the MoU with Shandong Publishing, which was signed during the Trade and Copyright Fair in China. The Foundation also signed its biggest partnership agreement to date with Egypt’s Al-Ahram Foundation to facilitate the exchange of expertise and publications.

Notable Participation in Local and International Events

In 2017, the Foundation took part of several high-profile events in the UAE, the region and the world, in order to shed light on its knowledge and science-centred initiatives. These include the London International Book Fair, the Global Educational Supplies and Solutions (GESS 2017) exhibition (through Qindeel Educational), the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, Careers UAE 2017 exhibition, the Frankfurt International Book Fair, and the 37^th Gitex Technology Week.

The Foundation also participated in the “Towards Building Egyptian Knowledge and Innovation Society” conference in Cairo, which seeks to develop strategies and creative visions that help establish a knowledge economy and innovative societies.

Best Government Social Media Engagement in the GCC Award

MBRF won the Best Government Social Media Engagement in the GCC Award 2017 at the Sharjah Government Communications Award, held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.

The award calculates the impact of governments’ communication campaigns through social media platforms, evaluating their success, as well as the extent to which they were positively received by the public.