"Zayed University" Hosts the Final Stage of the UAE Hackathon "Data for Happiness"

Mobilk - "Zayed University" hosted the last phase of the UAE Hackathon "Data for Happiness", organized by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), with the support of the National Program for Happiness and Positivity. The event included a presentation of the smart and innovative ideas and solutions provided by the contestants, and the launch of the evaluation process for nominating ideas for the national award, which will be announced during a special ceremony on March 4th.

H.E. Saeed Al Suwaidi, Acting TRA Director General, said: "The UAE Hackathon is part of our initiatives for the Innovation Month, in the framework of our strategy to enable the young generation to deal with the new era requirements, in which open and big data is an essential element. Over the course of a month, since the Hackathon launch in its first stop at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi, to its last stop at Zayed University in Dubai, we have witnessed many creative ideas and solutions, which confirms that we are on the right track in the UAE in keeping pace with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, in order to maintain our leading position in global competitiveness indicators."

Professor Reyadh Almehaideb, Vice President of Zayed University, praised the innovative initiative "UAE Hackathon – Data for Happiness" of TRA, noting that organizing this event in universities has been a wise move, as universities are the most suitable environment to represent this kind of pioneering and exceptional ideas and to spread them in society as advanced mechanisms for improving the quality of life and achieving comprehensive happiness. Moreover, these ideas and initiatives are compatible with the openness of the new generations to the new era, and motivate them to create the future.

He said: "We, at Zayed University, are proud to be part of this unique cultural project, which is in line with the wise leadership directives and aspirations to improve the lifestyle in the UAE. We are working hard to encourage our students to share their creative ideas and innovations in the utilization of data and information, through the UAE Hackathon, to develop solutions to the challenges of the sectors most relevant to the communitys life, to achieve happiness, and improve the quality of life in the UAE."

Specialized experience Jury

The decisions are made by a panel of experts in this field. The panel will evaluate and discuss the submitted ideas of the participating teams, make a final decision, and announce the results. On the other hand, the participants will be introduced to the required criteria a week before the start of the Hackathon. These criteria include data utilization efficiency, product adoption and sponsorship probability, product marketing strategy, and sustainable marketing plan for the product or idea reached by the participating team.

The winners will be honored during the Hackathon closing ceremony on Sunday 4 March 2018, during which the winners of each Emirate, which are six teams, will be honored by publishing their solutions and applications on the UAE official portal. Additionally, a video showing the winning work will be published, while winners at the national level will receive valuable prizes.