‘Culture of innovation’ key to sustain growth across fields

Under the patronage of HM the King’s Representative for Charity Work and Youth Affairs, National Security Adviser and Royal Guard Commander, Major-General HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, and in the presence of the Royal Guard’s Special Force Commander, Lieutenant-Colonel HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the distribution ceremony of the first edition of the “Nasser bin Hamad Military Innovation Award” was held yesterday at the Crown Prince’s Centre for Medical Training and Research at the Bahrain Defence Force.

Deputy Royal Guard Commander and Chairman of the award’s organising committee, Major-General Hamad Khalifa Al Nuaimi, delivered a statement in which he hailed HH Shaikh Nasser’s patronage of the first edition of the “Nasser bin Hamad Military Innovation Award”.

He asserted that HH Shaikh Nasser had launched the prestigious award to motivate all BDF affiliates, and promote the culture of innovation among them in the medical, technical and administrative fields in order to serve the military field in the operational and training aspects. He added that HH Shaikh Nasser’s initiative to launch the award had appealed to all BDF affiliates, who, he said, valued highly HH Shaikh Nasser’s vision and keenness to pave the way for creative personnel to showcase their talent.

He said that the high-profile jury of the award held periodic meetings over nearly a year to study and discuss all the participants’ projects thoroughly, and selected three winners among 102 contestants, in three categories, namely (a) scientific innovation, (b) military field innovation and (c) technical innovation. He extended sincere appreciation and gratitude to HH Shaikh Nasser for his trust in the organising committee, as well as for his initiatives aimed at serving the BDF and the Kingdom, under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the Supreme Commander.

He also paid tribute to all officials in the BDF’s General Command, led by Commander-in-Chief, for their constant support for the Award. After a short film on the innovations of the participants in the award, HH Shaikh Nasser honoured the laureates of the “Nasser bin Hamad Military Innovation Award” 2019, as follows: Dr Fatima Abdulrahim Fakhro won the Military Innovation Award in the scientific field on the treatment of multi-cavity encephalopathy, using Anti il-6 Receptor Antibody.

The work team of the manufacturing of the armoured vehicle (Faisal), led by First Sergeant Mohammed Abdulla Al Dossari, won the Military Innovation Award in the military field category. First Sergeant Isa Abdulla Janahi won the Military Innovation Award in the technical military field on designing missile launch pads to pave the way for simulating their work and examination on the ground.

HH Shaikh Nasser also presented the winners with medallions of distinction. On the occasion, HH Shaikh Nasser stressed the importance of stimulating intellectual creativity of the BDF’s affiliates, honing their skills and highlighting their talent in order to be able to better serve the BDF through research and projects, as well as enable them to compete at the international level.

HH Shaikh Nasser affirmed that Bahrain, under the leadership of HM the King, has harnessed all its potentials and provided a fertile environment to motivate Bahrainis with distinguished achievements to enhance their performance in various fields, stressing that the BDF boasts a large number competencies who are capable of creative thinking within an atmosphere of fair competition.

He also expressed deep pride in the BDF’s distinguished competencies’ ideas and achievements which, he said, meet the requirements of the plans to improve the performance of the Kingdom’s armed forces. HH Shaikh Nasser congratulated the winners of his award for military innovation, and expressed delight at the great interaction with it, as reflected in the great number of male and female participants in it from various BDF branches and units, in addition to retired servicemen.

He pointed out that the Award has brought to light the creative ideas of officers and servicemen on ways to enhance performance, noting that identifying talented competencies and investing in them would reflect positively on the BDF and the homeland. HH Shaikh Nasser urged the winners and other participants to continue exerting efforts, and to carry on their creative approach to be able to provide innovative solutions to various difficulties and challenges, wishing everyone success in the coming years.

“Nasser bin Hamad Military Innovation Award” aims to stimulate creativity and promote the culture of innovation among the BDF affiliates, as well as provide a competitive environment for coming up with innovations that would contribute to improving the performance of the military establishment in the Kingdom.

Eligible participants, including BDF’s military and civil affiliates, in addition to retired servicemen, were required by the organising committee to come up with innovative idea, in Arabic or English, that could be applied, turned into a product, or contribute to developing technical or scientific performance.