A symposium on “Social Innovation in the Health Sector” was recently held by the Innovation and Technology Management Department at the Arabian Gulf University (AGU). The event was part of a series of innovation seminars organised by the department during the current academic year in the Innovation Lab.
Prof. Odeh Aljayyousi, Acting Head of the Innovation and Technology Management Department, presented success stories, pioneering experiences, and innovative solutions in the education, health and community service sectors from global experiences based on design thinking and behavioural psychology.
At the symposium, Prof. Aljayyousi discussed the conceptual framework for the social innovation process, which involves identifying problems, understanding the context and building practical solutions through dialogue and joint construction with citizens and beneficiaries. He highlighted opportunities for social innovation to address issues such as smoking, obesity, electronic addiction and unemployment. He cited global experiences, including the experience of the Banker to the Poor by Muhammad Yunus.
Additionally, Prof. Aljayyousi emphasised the importance of the Innovation Lab in providing a space for testing, experimentation and intellectual convergence between graduate students and specialists. He noted that the lab allows for the understanding of problems and the development of innovative business models that generate added value for sustainable development and enable societies to transition to the digital or knowledge economy.
Meanwhile, Ms. Maryam Zainal, a PhD student in the Innovation and Technology Management Department, presented her analysis of the smoking problem in Bahrain using the causal class analysis methodology. She reviewed the results and used social data to anticipate future trends and develop scientific solutions based on evidence.
AGU aims to provide innovation to the GCC countries in order to achieve their national vision. The PhD programme in innovation and technology management, which started in 2016, organises events like this symposium to update graduate students. The programme is supported by the Arab Bank until 2027, with the goal of fostering a culture of innovation, stimulating entrepreneurship and advancing digital transformation and artificial intelligence in the knowledge economy. The Innovation and Technology Management Department has graduated over 40 postgraduate students, including influential individuals in the education, health, media, business administration and technology sectors.
