More than 500 participants ranging from SMEs, start-up supports and investors to innovation stakeholders are expected to take part in an upcoming investment forum in Abu Dhabi.

The 10th Annual Meeting and Forum, organised by the International Network for Small and Medium Enterprises in partnership with Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, will run from March 18 to 20 at Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi under the theme “Investing In Innovation: Building a Sustainable Knowledge-based Economy”.

The event’s invitees include top representatives from organizations such as Virgin Unite Mentors, Google, OECD, MSME News Network Malaysia, etc. They will initiate discussions and knowledge sharing under the theme.

Running parallel to the main event will be a one-day exhibition of some of the most promising innovative players of the UAE.

Kick starting the Meeting will be several roundtables, each of which will explore the most pressing topics related to Innovation in Entrepreneurship. On the second day, an international conference comprising six sets of panel discussion will take place.

UAE residents across industries are welcome to participate at the conference. The last day will be a Training Day for registered participants on topics such as “Sustainability, Innovation and Design”, “Commercialization of Research” and “Tricks and Tips on creative communication”. All of the above will be powered by field experts who are some of the top global business honchos as well as INSME members.

Ibrahim Al Mansoori, COO, Khalifa Fund and vice president of INSME, said: “The 10th INSME Annual Meeting and Forum is a brainchild of INSME. The latter stimulates transnational cooperation and public and private partnership in the field of Innovation and Technology Transfer to SMEs.

“Therefore, it’s a matter of great pride for Khalifa Fund to partner as a co-organizer for its 10th edition. I am sure that this much anticipated event will nurture the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the UAE as well as around the globe, thereby helping Khalifa Fund to move closer towards its goal.”

CEO and co-founder of Virgin Unite Mentors, Mark Thompson, who will be one of the speakers at the event said:  “I will share what I've learned from my journey with remarkable innovators like Steve Jobs (Apple) and Jeff Bezos (Amazon). We will talk about how Bill Gates created a sustainable global Microsoft platform and how did my dear friend Richard Branson (Virgin) struggled, bounced back, and ultimately built a portfolio of 350 growing Virgin businesses that continue to innovate and reinvent their industries.

“I'll tell you how the hottest growth companies - from Silicon Valley, Stanford University, New York, London, Beijing, Bangalore and around the world accelerate the momentum and how they avoid the mistakes that derail the biggest competitors.” – TradeArabia News Service