Dubai’s Sheikh Hamdan announces new Covid-19 award for firms battling pandemic

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council, has announced a new prize to award firms which have demonstrated outstanding innovation in project management during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The new category – Innovative Practices in Handling the Covid-19 Pandemic – will be a part of the fourth edition of the Hamdan bin Mohammed Award for Innovation in Project Management (HBMAIPM), the results of which will be declared in November.

The new award category has two sections. The first is for SMEs and the second for large enterprises such as government, semi-government and private organisations too.

The total amount allocated for this category is $80,000.

.@HamdanMohammed launches exceptional 4th edition of the Hamdan bin Mohammed Award for Innovation with new category, ‘Innovative Practices in Handling the COVID-19 Pandemic’https://t.co/2sl05CMRFs pic.twitter.com/GboFYwGPGt

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) May 27, 2020

“Dubai is combating the pandemic in its own unique way, with innovative processes and solutions. Under the guidance of Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, innovation has always been a cornerstone of Dubai’s social and economic growth,” said Sheikh Hamdan in a statement carried by the Dubai Media Office.

“Across its development journey, the emirate has set a global example in generating and executing new ideas to positively transform itself, create new opportunities and overcome crises. Our measured and effective response to the Covid-19 crisis has been marked by the efficient use of innovation in various aspects of the fight against the crisis. Innovation has greatly supported our efforts to educate, equip and empower organisations and individuals to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.”

Meanwhile, Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the award and also director general and chairman of the board of executive directors of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) added: “The launch of the category named Innovative Practices in Handling the Covid-19 Pandemic is a step forward in preparing for the post-Covid-19 world. The aim is to encourage both SMEs and large entities to share knowledge and expertise in the field of crisis management.”

Al Tayer added that that the new category would also encourage entities to develop effective crises exit strategies.

The HBMAIPM award with a total prize money of $710,000 was launched in 2015 with the aim to identify and reward project management innovators and to help the emirate transform itself into a global hub for these specialists.

The first category, The Innovative Organisation in Project Management Award for Organisations, honours three winners.

The second category awarded to individuals include the Innovative Project Manager Award and the Innovative PMO Manager Award.

The third category awarded to teams is the Innovative Team Award.

The fourth category, the Academic Category, includes the Scientific Research for the Innovative Project Management Award and the Innovative Project Management Award–Academic category.

Registration for the HBMAIPM opens on June 1, with submissions received on the awards’ website, and will and close on August 31, 2020.