1) You’ve launched Hackathon, could you please tell us more about it and its related initiatives?

The KSA 5G Together Apart Hackathon celebrates more than five years of the establishment of Saudi Vision 2030 and aims to build on the achievements and developments reached so far in the nation’s quest for a Vibrant Society, a Thriving Economy, and an Ambitious Nation. It is a theme-based Hackathon that showcases how the power of connectivity and 5G can propel the country forward. The Hackathon will encourage participants to identify innovative and commercially viable solutions using 5G that contribute to one of the five pillars of Vision 2030. A total of five winning teams will be chosen - one winning team from each challenge area. The five winning teams will receive support in developing and scaling their solutions and one team will receive the grand prize to visit Ericsson’s headquarters in Sweden to pitch their solution and interact with the entrepreneurial community.

2) What are the goals of the hackathon initiative with MCIT?

The competition aims to bring together qualified mentors with innovators, students, and entrepreneurs from across the Kingdom to hack for the future and develop solutions that contribute to the core pillars of Saudi Vision 2030.

Through the Hackathon, we aim to accelerate the development of new technologies and solutions in Saudi Arabia and strengthen the Kingdom’s innovative capabilities while also improving the livelihood of its residents. We are confident the results of the Hackathon will guide the Kingdom in realizing its national agendas and digital ambitions. We are also certain the Hackathon will contribute to the overall economic and social development of Saudi Arabia by presenting a technology enabled framework for sustainable and balanced regional development

3) What are Ericsson’s plans in supporting the local talents?

We understand that supporting and developing local talent is essential in Saudi Arabia’s journey towards realizing Vision 2030. It is with this in mind that we launched our 5G Innovation Hub in Saudi Arabia with the primary goal to drive local innovation and develop talent competencies in the country. Working with 100 local fresh graduates curated from Saudi Arabia’s leading universities (50 percent of which are female), our 5G Innovation Hub has presented them with the opportunity to experience on-the-job training, test ideas, and see innovation come to life. Through our expertise and resources, the graduates have helped develop a wide range of 5G use cases across different industries and segments for consumers and enterprises.

Ericsson’s commitment to talent development in the Kingdom has combined the efforts of the Innovation Hub and the company’s graduate program. As we focus on incubating talent in the Kingdom in line with Saudi Vision 2030 and instilling a creative mindset in them, we hope to help to build the next generation of leaders in the Kingdom’s ICT sector that will help the country realize Vision 2030. Brimming with fresh and innovative creative ideas, we know the youth of the nation hold the potential to spearhead Saudi Arabia’s progress in the digital era, and by engaging with skilled and talented Saudis through initiatives such as this Hackathon, we are rightfully placing local Saudi talent as a cornerstone to the nation’s development journey.