More than 200 delegates from key business and industry sectors will gather for the Masdar-hosted UAE Forum on Innovation and Entrepreneurship 2014 that opened today in Abu Dhabi.

Hosted by Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, in collaboration with BP Exploration Operating Company and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the second annual invitation-only Forum will be held at the St Regis Abu Dhabi Corniche.

A plenary session, three simultaneous panel discussions and two innovation workshops will explore opportunities to accelerate innovation in higher education, energy, and aerospace.

This industry-based approach to optimising the innovation ecosystem follows recommendations of the previous Forum held last year. It will conclude with a tour of Masdar City.

Dr Fred Moavenzadeh, president, Masdar Institute, said: “This year’s Forum focuses on one of the nine recommendations made in the previous Forum to provide a strong foundation for future stakeholder initiatives.”

“The support of the UAE leadership continues to enable us to organize regionally relevant forums on building capacities with an eye on the future. We believe this Forum will generate concepts that could inspire an innovation ecosystem for the benefit of the region,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service