Fulfilling the Promise of the Digital Age
Issued on October 6, 2023
Contact: Anders Halvorsen ahalvorsen@witsa.org +1 571 265-5964
WITSA Announces 2023 Global Innovation and Tech Excellence Award Winners:
Winners demonstrated excellence in improving human lives through digital innovation and public-private partnerships
Kuching, Malaysia: On the second day of the 2023 World Congress on Innovation and Technology (WCIT 2023), The World Innovation, Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) announced that 38 recipients from four different continents were selected to receive the 2023 WITSA Global Innovation and Tech Excellence Awards, a special WITSA Chairman’s Award, the WITSA MVP Award as well as two WITSA Eminent Person Awards. WITSA is the leading recognized voice of the global digital technology industry, with members from 80 countries and economies. The WITSA Awards recognize the entities that have either made, or hold the highest promise to make, the most significant contributions in the use of technology to better the lives of humankind as judged from the entries received in 2023.
“The Judging committee for the 2023 Global Innovation and Tech Excellence Awards had the honor of reviewing over 130 unique and remarkable award submissions,” said WITSA Chairman Dr. Sean Seah. “I would also like to congratulate all of the winners for the superb job that they are doing in bringing the benefits of digital technology to citizens, governments, industries and communities engaged in virtually every human endeavor; thus, contributing to WITSA’s vision as well as the dual themes of this Congress; "Fulfilling the Promise of the Digital Age: Innovation and Technology Driving Economic Prosperity, Social Inclusivity and Environmental Sustainability" and "Advancing Digital Economy for Sustainable Development," continued Dr. Seah.
The Awards also recognized a public/private collaboration that resulted in a major cybersecurity certification and labeling program leading to consumer-friendly product markings and information about the cybersecurity of products purchased in stores and online; an agile hybrid simulator of human machine collaboration for multi-workers; a Machine Learning business offering insights into residential and commercial building portfolios on the journey to net zero; an award-winning company accelerating green hydrogen adoption for deep decarbonization in hard-to-abate sectors; an innovative AI-enabled predictive software solution used in the early diagnosis and prevention of colorectal and bronchopulmonary cancer; an innovative learning management system based on the latest AI and machine learning techniques empowering learners by adapting the content to their learning style and current states; a flexible next-generation online application that brings together everything a very small business or a freelancer needs in a single system; and an intelligent predictive and analysis system for supply chain resilience; an advanced technology solution provider in the emerging property-technology (PropTech) space.
Governments were also recognized for a one-stop data platform for skills, education, employment and entrepreneurship that supports its citizens by providing effective data-driven policy planning; a smart city project that improves the quality of life of its residents and urban governance through the development of Smart 5G Poles and other innovative applications related to Internet of Things; a program delivering a digital service to support clean air zone management; an e-government program that improves population health, quality of life and productivity; an e-learning platform for education, skills and professional development that accelerates the inclusive digitization of public services and improves access for millions of people in a major developing economy; and an interoperability information system that provides safety, privacy, efficiency, effectiveness and economies of scale in the design and implementation of data exchange between public sector bodies to provide digital services to citizens and businesses.
The Awards also recognized some the most influential women leaders in technology who have demonstrated considerable experience in leading innovation and becoming leaders and role models in the tech industry, as well as government authorities and corporations that have partnered to successfully procure and implement public information infrastructure and services using the technology, solutions, innovation and expertise of the private sector.
“The nominations submitted to this year’s awards program spanned WITSA’s global membership,” stated WITSA’s CEO, Dato’ Dan E. Khoo. “We are delighted that we were able to recognize some of the very best tech solutions from governments, institutions, individuals, and industry,” continued Dato’ Khoo.
The WITSA Global Innovation and Tech Excellence Awards is one of WITSA’s catalytic global platforms that began in the year 2000 at the World Congress on IT in Taipei. As the leading recognized international voice of the global tech industry, WITSA has utilized its unprecedented reach into the digital industries of 80 member countries and economies in order to honor the most deserving candidates from around the world.
The following are the winners of the 2023 WITSA Global Innovation and Tech Excellence Awards:
Consumer Technology Association (CTA) & National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
WITSA bestowed its highest award, the Eminent Person Award to Dr. Lisa Su, President, Chief Executive Officer and Chair of Advanced Micro Devices for her unparalleled achievements, and The Right Honorable Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari Bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg, Premier of Sarawak, for transforming Sarawak into a Digital Economy by leveraging on technology and Innovation.
The 2023 WITSA Awards received a large number of highly qualified nominees, amassed through WITSA’s network of digital tech industry associations across the globe. WITSA therefore decided to also recognize a number of noteworthy Runners-up and Merit recipients. While not being selected as winners of one of the award categories, these nominees nevertheless displayed first-rate use and innovation in tech.
At the 2023 WITSA Global Innovation and Tech Excellence Awards, 4 Runner-ups and 8 Merit recipients were recognized. All winners of the 2023 WITSA Awards are profiled in detail below:
Dr. Lisa Su
The Right Honorable Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari Bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg
In 2010, WITSA established its highest decoration called the WITSA Eminent Person Award to honor and recognize those individuals who have made a significant and profound positive difference in the lives of others.
These deserving individuals who have come from within the tech industry include the co-Fathers of the Internet Dr. Vinton Cerf and Dr. Bob Kahn, the Fathers of Wi-Fi Dr. John O'Sullivan and Dr. Terence Percival as well as Dr. Miguel Angelo Laporta Nicolelis, best known for his pioneering work surrounding brain-machine interface technology.
In 2023, WITSA had the distinct pleasure of adding two special inductees to WITSA’s honor roll of Eminent Persons.
This year’s WITSA Eminent Person from the tech industry is Dr. Lisa Su, President, CEO and Chair of Advanced Micro Devices. Dr. Vint Cerf personally nominated Dr. Su for her unparalleled achievements as CEO of AMD, including one of the greatest recent turnarounds in the tech sector as well as her highly regarded work developing silicon-on-insulator semiconductor manufacturing technologies and more efficient semiconductor chips that are making a mark in the race for AI dominance.
And from the public sector leadership, which had given WITSA illustrious recipients like WITSA’s first Eminent Person Dr. Nelson Mandela and subsequent ones like the Rt. Honorable Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, the former Prime Minister of Malaysia and the Rt. Honorable Sheikh Hasina, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, comes a luminary whose strategic vision has inspired the development of critical sectors and innovations for the betterment of his people’s future. The Right Honorable Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari Bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg, Premier of Sarawak, is the recipient of the 2023 WITSA Eminent Person Award from the public sector.
Under his mantle as Premier, Sarawak aspires to be a developed and high-income state by 2030. This entails doubling the size of Sarawak’s economy from RM136 billion in 2019 to RM282 billion in 2030 with a targeted annual growth of between six to eight percent as outlined in Sarawak’s Post COVID-19 Development Strategy 2030.
When he took over as Premier of Sarawak in 2017, he embarked on progressing Sarawak from depending on a traditional commodity-based economy to thriving with a Digital Economy leveraging on technology and innovation. Committed to providing internet connectivity to every citizen of Sarawak and building digital talent and encouraging the use of e- commerce and fintech to spur the economy, he is the father of Sarawak’s economic digitalization.
WITSA MVP Award
Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC)
The WITSA Most Valuable Partner (MVP) Award recognizes the leadership and progress made by a WITSA partner in advancing the ideals embodied by the spirit of the WCIT in fulfilling the promise of the digital age. The winner, the Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC) has made tremendous strides in creating opportunities for the communities it serves, including tech entrepreneurs, digital business investors and the citizens of Sarawak, with the smart adoption and utilization of digital infrastructure and technology.
Consumer Technology Association (CTA) & National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
This award was given to the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) for hosting a multi-year multi-stage public-private process on IoT cybersecurity and to the U.S. National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) for its leadership in the private sector side of the NIST IoT cybersecurity public-private process
For years, hackers have compromised consumer connected devices (consumer Internet of Things devices, or consumer IoT) in order to turn them into “bots”. A bot is a connected device that obeys commands from a malicious actor. A large network of bots (a “botnet”) can be commanded to send malicious floods of traffic at a website, rendering the website unable to handle normal traffic and therefore unavailable; such an attack is a distributed denial of service (DDoS).
Following a major 2016 attack, and pursuant to executive orders from the Trump and Biden Administrations, NIST held a series of public-private stakeholder efforts over a period of six years. The initial output of this collaboration with industry was a “baseline” for IoT cybersecurity—a minimum set of standards that would, if implemented by manufacturers, prevent or limit future such attacks. At the same time, the Consumer Technology Association (“CTA”) began a parallel effort for similar reasons. The trade association convened 19 leading trade associations and technical alliances to develop a minimum baseline in parallel with the NIST effort. The CTA-led effort assembled technical experts from the many organizations convened by these associations and alliances. This “Convene the Conveners” effort was published in 2019 as the C2 Consensus and referenced by NIST and others in subsequent works.
However, CTA also saw the value of NIST’s public-private partnership effort on this topic. Besides contributing the C2 Consensus document to the NIST effort, CTA provided detailed technical input in every one of NIST’s public-private partnership stages from 2017 to 2023. CTA made an extensive contribution to the NIST Consumer IoT Label Pilot Program in 2022. And CTA ultimately merged the overall effort of the C2 Consensus into the NIST public/private stakeholder effort, making one public-private effort rather than two competing programs
The result of this cooperative effort is the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark, which was announced July 18th, 2023, by the White House, NIST and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and major industry partners including the Consumer Technology Association. The voluntary program is expected to lead to consumer-friendly product markings and information about the cybersecurity of the products they purchase in stores and online.
CTA’s landing page on cyber labeling, including links to CTA work and to NIST work:
https://www.cta.tech/Resources/Standards/Cyber-Labeling
The announcement by the White House on the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark:
For more informaion, contact:
For NIST: Name/title: Ms. Katherine (Kat) Megas, Program Manager, NIST Cybersecurity for Internet of Things Email: katerina.megas@nist.gov Phone/Mobile: 202-441-1147
For CTA: Name/title: Doug Johnson, Vice President, Emerging Technology Policy Email: djohnson@CTA.tech Phone/Mobile: 703-220-0817
Institute for Information Industry for "an agile hybrid simulator of human machine collaboration for multi-workers"
By pioneering the combination of using electromyographic (EMG) signals with the human body movement image recognition, III has developed a non-contact real-time multi-person work efficiency system. This overcomes the limitations of traditional EMG detection, which requires attaching sensors to the individuals being monitored and is both costly and impractical for widespread use. III’s system enables the storage of data related to safety issues in the Taiwanese production environment and utilizes scientific analysis to assess the production efficiency of various workstation lines. This not only improves the safety of production personnel but also serves as a management reference. Additionally, the system can be adapted into different language versions, expanding its application worldwide. Some benefits include:
For more information, contact: Chen Hung En, Senior engineer | hongenchen@iii.org.tw | Tel. +886266072301
Aspire to Innovate – a2i for their one-stop data platform - National Intelligence for Skills, Education, Employment and Entrepreneurship (NISE)
In Bangladesh, mismatch between the demand and supply of relevant skills is considered to be the key reason behind unemployment and inefficiencies of the labor market. Some pressing issues are putting stumbling blocks in country’s path to becoming a developed country by 2041 (Smart Bangladesh).
The Aspire to Innovate (a2i) Programme of the Cabinet Division and ICT Division supported by UNDP Bangladesh have developed a one-stop data platform - National Intelligence for Skills, Education, Employment and Entrepreneurship (NISE) - to support all stakeholders to ensure effective data-driven policy planning. It is actually a matchmaking platform that aims to ensure balance between the supply side and demand for skills, education, employment and entrepreneurship. Supply side stakeholders are 32 government departments under 23 relevant ministries as well as 13000 skills service providers. For onboarding demand side stakeholders NISE has established partnership with most of the existing job platforms including the largest Job Portal in Bangladesh which is BDjobs. NISE aims to act as a connecting bridge to bring these stakeholders together under one umbrella so that they can address each other's needs and subsequently take data driven decisions to stimulate industrial growth that will pave the way for economic prosperity.
The youth participants in various programs by skills service providers- including job seekers, skills seekers, migrants, apprentices and entrepreneurs are automatically included in a central youth database in NISE who can then get easy access to some innovative features of this platform such as career counselling and guidance, job forecast, apprenticeship opportunities, business and migration suggestions, entrepreneurship guiding pathways etc.
More information, contact : Asad-Uz-Zaman (Strategy and Innovation Specialist)
Email : asad.zaman@a2i.gov.bd, nise@a2i.gov.bd Phone/Mobile : +88 01712092922
Skenarios Real Estate by Skenario Labs
Skenario Labs is a Machine Learning business, offering insights into residential and commercial building portfolios on the journey to net zero. Their advanced analysis engine creates virtual representation of buildings, assessing energy usage, carbon intensity, and value. They empower clients to make informed decisions for sustainable and optimized portfolios through data-driven solutions.
Skenariolabs build individual building models for every single building across a city. They take into account local building archetypes (what are they made of? How are they built?), as well as localized weather, costs, energy grid and demographics in order to provide insights on how to best decarbonize whole portfolios. They collaborated with Arup to develop a virtual representation of several thousand properties across three major UK cities. This model included multiple building types and provided a solid baseline for further iteration and scenario analysis. We ran several scenarios focusing on three intervention types:
1) A deep retrofit requiring a significant change to the buildings.
2) A light retrofit that would not require massive alteration.
3) A do-minimum to investigate a baseline.
By utilizing Skenarios Real Estate and combining our platform and modeling with Arup’s expertise they were able to deliver high-quality analysis for their clients and have since expanded collaboration to additional projects with central and local Governments around the UK. Skenarios Real Estate allows property data to be collected, collated, and analyzed quickly. It can also provide a set of derived assumptions where data was not available and which can then be updated or replaced.
More information, contact: Tom Somers, Director UK&I Email: tom@skenariolabs.com
Phone/Mobile: +44 (0)7983434947
Information Management Center, New Taipei City Government: for Building 5G Smart Poles in New Taipei Smart City
The Smart Poles can expand the 5G internet coverage rate within the area as with the hardware device integrated inside. New Taipei City plans to further improve the quality of life of its residents and the overall urban governance of New Taipei City through the development of Smart Poles and other innovative applications related to Internet of Things to make New Taipei City a smart city, where people can live and work in peace and convenient.
Equipping with specific-purpose modules for data collection, such as environmental status detection, pedestrian and traffic flow, etc., the key data will be transmitted to the control center using efficient network communication technology for analyzing process to help with decision-making on policy or regulation. At the current stage, the Smart Pole has equipped with road lights, traffic signal signs, surveillance camera, network gateway, digital signage, environmental quality detectors, advertisement signs, and other integrated solutions.
APPLICATIONS
With all-rounded construction and application, the Smart Poles become the fundamental infrastructure for the development of smart cities
Contact: WANG, SHU-CHEN / Case Officer
Email：ao4615@ntpc.gov.tw | Phone/Mobile：+886229603456 ext.8582
SunGreenH2
SunGreenH2 is an award-winning company accelerating green hydrogen adoption for deep decarbonization in hard-to-abate sectors. We are supercharging electrolysers with nanotechnology so orders more magnitude of hydrogen can cleanly be made from water. They manufacture core components for all major types of electrolyser cells, stacks and systems, enabling our customers to produce affordable green hydrogen. Alkaline, PEM, AEM electrolysers made with our electrodes and components double (2x) hydrogen production using 30x lower precious metals and 10% lower energy. They have recently been awarded grant funding from Shell and the Energy Market Authority and are piloting our technology with leading hydrogen end-users like Naturgy and Shell and electrolyser. Hydrogen will have a role to play in hard to abate industrial and heavy vehicles sectors. SunGreenH2 intends to supply GW scale electrolysers in the next 3-5 years
More information:
Technology Video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swYEKNqIJUs
SunGreenH2 Url: https://www.sungreenh2.com/
Contact: Tulika Raj Email: tulika@sungreenh2.com Mobile: 65 88767391
Joint Air Quality Unit (JAQU) for Improving the UK’s Air Quality - Delivering a Digital Service to Support Clean Air Zone Management
The GOV.UK ‘Drive in a Clean Air Zone’ service has: Enabled citizens and businesses to understand whether they would be charged for driving in a CAZ ahead of CAZ’s being launched and, if they were, identifying proactive actions they could take to avoid this. Enabled citizens to easily pay any charges that are due, either before or after they travel into a CAZ. Enabled fleet operators of all sizes to create a ‘Business Account’ that enables them to manage and pay CAZ charges more efficiently. Encouraged significant public uptake by adopting a user-centered delivery approach based on face-to-face research, iterative prototyping, and development to ensure that user needs were met as efficiently as possible. This also catered for users with assisted digital needs, by providing the ability to pay by telephone etc. Allowed JAQU/DVLA to benefit from adopting a cloud first and ‘buy don’t build’ technical strategy. Delivery was accelerated, de-risked, cost effective (due to the cloud pay as you go model). Currently, the service reliably and comfortably processes over 30k transactions per day and is designed to scale to 10x this figure as further LAs launch CAZs. Allowed citizens and all delivery partners to benefit from adopting an agile delivery approach using Continuous Integration tools and technologies –continual service improvements can be taken from concept to live easily, ensuring that user feedback and new requirements can be actioned quickly. Allowed JAQU/DVLA to secure a wealth of operational data that they can use to evaluate, inform, and optimize the implementation of clean air policy, now and in the future.
Working together, Informed Solutions and JAQU continue to successfully support, maintain, and continually improve the CAZ Service. The first Clean Air Zones were launched in 2021 and the solution is playing a vital role in improving the quality of the air we breathe. Several services are already live, including the Vehicle Compliance Checker – a national GOV.UK service used by motorists to determine if they will be charged for driving into a CAZ. 61 Local Authorities are involved in the program, with Bath and Birmingham having already launched CAZ schemes, with a further 7 cities following their example. This scalable infrastructure and service has the potential to be rolled out internationally for smart city and sustainable environmental initiatives.
Contact: Mr Blaise Hammond, Director, Communications and Engagement
Email: blaise.hammond@informed.com | Phone/Mobile: +44 (0) 7713 684597
Frontier Management Consulting SRL: PROMED Project
This award recognizes Frontier Management Consulting SRL for its continued efforts in promoting health, healthcare and e-health to ensure the well-being of citizens and due to its over 10 years activity in supporting health and care systems in various capacities.
One of Frontier Management Consulting’s notable accomplishments is the development of the PROMED Project, an innovative AI-enabled predictive software, to be used in the early diagnostic and/or prevention of colorectal and bronchopulmonary cancer, through the analysis of the human body’s immune system response in the presence of cancerous cells. The software developed under the PROMED project is a cutting-edge technological venture, that leverages the latest developments in genomics, cancer research and artificial intelligence in order to predict whether an individual is at imminent risk of developing cancerous tumors at lung- or colorectal-level.
The solution has the potential to be transformative when implemented in clinical practice. Firstly, it allows medical professionals to either (a) more robustly identify a potential malignant tumor and confirm the presence of cancer via a minimally invasive technique, allowing for quick intervention and a higher likelihood of patient survival or (b) provide a quantified risk profile of an individual, allowing for the development of personalized screening schemes targeted at the early identification of cancerous tumors. As an online platform, it serves as an interface between the rapidly advancing healthcare technology and the end-users, which include healthcare professionals, patients, other natural persons and even insurance providers. The on-line nature of the app facilitates ease of access and scalability, ensuring that the benefits of advanced predictive diagnostics reach a wider audience. It streamlines healthcare delivery by ensuring that test results can be presented to the end-user beyond the point of care.
For more information, visit Frontier Consulting and learn more about the PROMED Project.
Contact: Flaviana Rotaru | General Manager at Frontier Management Consulting srl
E-mail: flaviana.rotaru@frontierconsulting.ro Phone: +40 723 287798
IDIKA SA: e-Government Center for Social Security Services
The system has the following two basic functionalities: Informational: informs/reminds the beneficiary Citizen that the period of time required to re-carry out his periodical check-up has been reached. Specifically, the program informs women aged 50-69 that the required period of time since their previous mammogram has been completed. Monitoring: records and monitors the citizen's journey through the health system depending on the results of the preventive examinations.
The innovation of the system is based both on the fact that the project concerns all the citizens of the country, of a certain age group, and on the very fact of Prevention in Health matters that can save lives and prevent situations. In addition, the project is intangible. Meaning, that it is provided only electronically with many environmental benefits mainly from the saving of paper. It also helps everyone involved, Patients, Doctors, Diagnostic Centers, Hospitals, to secure time and resources with the best scheduling of their appointments. It has also been studied that prevention is more cost-effective, as the financial benefit to the health system increases over time as the number of people requiring treatment decreases. Equally important is improving the health of the general population, thereby improving quality of life, and enhancing productivity. In addition, preventive medicine promotes health equity, considering that it can be a powerful tool to reduce health disparities between different groups in the population - ensuring that everyone has access to preventive care.
Contact: Christina Tsallou / Executive Advisor Email: tsallou@idika.gr
Phone/Mobile: +30 213 216 8405 / +30 6944 811 568
Taichung City Economic Development Bureau in Taiwan: Taichung Shopping Festival Platform
Since 2019, the global economy and social welfare have been severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. To overcome this challenge, the Taichung City Economic Development Bureau has utilized digital technology and launched the Taichung Shopping Festival Platform service to boost Taichung City Economy. Taichung Shopping Festival has been held for four years and is about to enter its fifth year, lasting for 2 to 2.5 months for each year. The Taichung Shopping Festival Platform primarily achieves information integration and service integration through cross-department collaboration with internal sectors and external business partnerships. This includes the integration of Taichung Shopping Festival APP functions, collaboration with ecommerce platforms, and API integration with cloud invoices and the eTaichung APP, among other applications.
The results of the event include: a total of over 180,000 participating stores in Taichung City, including 30,000 partner stores; the platform's well-developed features and userfriendly interface have attracted a large number of citizens to download it, highlighting the platform's excellent quality and professional standards; the cumulative number of APP downloads has been increasing yearly, with a total of 231,000 downloads in 2019, and the number has surged to over 1.85 million downloads in 2022, marking an 8-fold increase; the cumulative number of registered invoice accounts increased from 2.54 million in 2019 to a total of 37.28 million registered invoices in 2022, representing a 14-fold increase; the total amount of registered invoices increased from USD81.6 million in 2019 to USD 1.17 billion in 2022, representing a growth of 14.3 times; the overall satisfaction rate of the Taichung Shopping Festival increased by more than 20%, from 66.6% in 2019 to a remarkable 87.1% in 2022, according to a survey conducted among participants.
More information: Video
Contact: Eve Liu/ Executive Officer Email: eve03012001@taichung.gov.tw
Phone/Mobile:+886-4-22289111 ext. 31616
BT Group: Virtual Wards Programme
Virtual wards give U.K. patients access to the healthcare services they need remotely, safely and conveniently, outside of a hospital setting. This follows BT research that found 74% of NHS staff agree that technology helps to deliver better quality care, while the current standard of technology at work is a source of stress for 49%* BT’s virtual wards program is delivered in partnership with pioneering healthcare technology companies, such as Feebris, alongside the creation of its own solutions. From smart devices that monitor health conditions like COPD and heart disease, to AI-backed software that enables clinicians to perform virtual ward rounds, the new solutions are now available for BT’s customers in the healthcare sector.
One of BT’s new digital health partners, Feebris, will help deliver virtual ward and virtual care solutions through its virtual care platform, using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enable community healthcare professionals and patients to capture reliable health information in real time and assess the risk of conditions worsening quickly. The technology is used across care homes, community nursing and virtual wards. The roll-out of the new virtual wards, virtual care and digital health programme, is delivered by BT’s dedicated healthcare team, led by in-house healthcare professionals and guided by an external Clinical Advisory Board.
More information: Newsroom
Contact: Professor Sultan Mahmud, BT’s Director of Healthcare Email: Sultan.mahmud@bt.com
SMACRS: Lumière (smertege)
Lumière(smertege) is an innovative learning management system based on the latest AI and machine learning techniques aiming to empower each and every learner by adapting the content to their learning style and current state. Please check the below video for an overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOl2R1aQCnk
Smertege has a very strong and long experience in providing different educational end to end services based on the latest technologies; not only smart adaptive LMS but also interactive creative educational content utilizing the latest tools and technologies and targeting different cultures and age categories.
Please check extra details and samples in the below link: https://www.mediafire.com/file/an6bxreovhzxnui/SMACRS_Content_Digitization_Profile%25C2%25A02023-2.pdf/file
Contact: Rasha Ali Solayma | Eitah r.ali@smacrs.com | Tel. 01110111135
Aspire to Innovate a2i: MuktoPaath - Ensuring e-Learning for All
MuktoPaath is Bangladesh's largest e-learning platform for education, skills and professional development. People can learn from online courses from subject experts, policy makers or academicians without any language barrier and at the lowest affordable costs since the materials are accessible & user-friendly for the learners, empowering them to enhance their skills and improve their economic prospects. It was launched in 2016 with aims to increase access to high-quality education at all-levels, improve learning outcomes, and enhance teaching and e-learning activities. A joint initiative of the Cabinet Division and ICT Division Bangladesh, Aspire to Innovate (a2i) Program and led by its Future of Education portfolio, MuktoPaath had undertaken efforts to make their site accessible and socially inclusive for all. Additionally, the platform focuses on continuously building e-learning methodologies to ensure effective educational experiences in local language for both teachers and learners in marginalized communities.
MuktoPaath has 10 categories and has launched 260+ online courses till date, where users can browse through 260+ courses, maintain their own profile, and generate end-of-course certificates automatically. The courses are designed in collaboration with 80+ government entities and NGOs to support people from all walks of life with accessibility features making them readily usable. The courses range from technical, agricultural, to vocational. After course completion, learners will participate in an online quiz and upon passing the assessment they will be certified by the relevant governmental institution or NGO. This will enable them to jump-start their career and minimize costs for any external training. It brought the training process online, saving the TCV (Time, Cost, and Visit) and made it possible to empower citizens within a short time.
Contact: Mr. Md Afzal Hossain Sarwar Policy Analyst (Educational Innovation) & Lead- Future of Education, a2i | Email: sarwar@a2i.gov.bd | Mobile: +8801715153793
More information:
Websites: a2i – Aspire to Innovate; Muktopaath; Muktopaath (Rights of the Persons With Disability)
Press Release; Muktopaath innovation brief;
Publications: Smart teachers for Smart Bangladesh (dhakatribune.com);
Helping teachers help students (dhakatribune.com)
HRD Corp
HRD Corp is responsible for driving Malaysia’s talent development aspirations through the collection of levy from employers and the funding of training and development programmes for the Malaysian workforce. In recent years we have evolved our mission to also include driving employment and industrial training placements, career coaching and counselling and developing income generating opportunities for Malaysians from a diverse range of skillsets, backgrounds and capabilities. Governed by the Pembangunan Sumber Manusia Berhad Act 2001 (PSMB Act 2001) and under the purview of the Ministry of Human Resources (MOHR), Malaysia, our vision is to futureproof the economic transformation of Malaysia through the country’s most valuable asset – its people. This defines our purpose at work, every single day. Ultimately, we aim to be the catalyst in driving the development of Malaysia’s current and future workforce, in line with the nation’s pursuit of becoming a high income and developed economy.
HRD Corp functions as a one stop employment and skills development centre to provide you with the opportunity to skill, reskill and upskill across a wide range of training, placement and career development services. Malaysians from a wide range of backgrounds, ages, educations and industries can take advantage of HRD Corp services such as HPC, NHRC, and PENJANA HRD Corp.
For more information, visit www.hrdcorp.com
EMERGING DIGITAL SOLUTIONS AWARD (PRIVATE SECTOR/NGO)
SOFTONE Group: Prosvasis GO Web Application
The Prosvasis GO application essentially constitutes a flexible next-generation online application that brings together everything a very small business or a freelancer needs in a single system. It leverages Cloud technologies that lay the foundations for the digital transformation of Greek small businesses and freelance professionals, helping them change the way they operate and deliver value to their customers. Additionally, the Prosvasis GO application relieves small businesses and freelancers from the high cost and increased complexity associated with adapting to the requirements of IAPR – Independent Authority for Public Revenue for myDATA Electronic Books (my Digital Accounting and Tax Application). The application includes a range of functions and tools that automate their daily operations for online task completion, such as issuing and sending electronic invoices, recording income and expenses, generating reports, organizing tasks, and inventory control. At the same time, it ensures timely and easy compliance with the specific obligations that arise for them from maintaining IAPR – INDEPENDENT AUTHORITY FOR PUBLIC REVENUE FOR MYDATA electronic transactions records. Operating in the Cloud, Prosvasis GO does not require any additional investment or installation to function. All it needs is a simple internet connection.
The Prosvasis GO application has been available on the market since mid2019 and has surpassed 45,000 subscriptions. It currently supports over 90,000 users. The customer profile ranges from small trading businesses and service providers to hospitality and retail, as well as professionals such as lawyers, doctors, engineers, etc.
Contact: Panagiota Georgakopoulou
Email: p.georgakopoulou@prosvasis.com Phone/Mobile: +30 6940793336
More information:
Press Release, TV SPOT, Promo Video, Nomination Form
Institute for Information Industry: Intelligent Predictive and Analysis System (IPAS) for supply chain resilience for EMS
Maintaining stable upstream and downstream supply chains is particularly important for Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS) providers. In the post-pandemic period of industrial recovery, our team developed the Intelligent Predictive and Analysis System (IPAS) for supply chain resilience for EMS with the following functions: 1. Raw material inventory level prediction module, 2. Margin inspection equipment pre-diagnosis module, 3. Quality cause diagnosis module, 4. Explainable order prediction module, 5. Intelligent prediction adaptive AI toolbox, and 6. Resilient time-series data synchronization technology module. We have developed intelligent functions such as inventory water level prediction, equipment pre-diagnosis, quality prediction, and order prediction to improve the industrial resilience of upstream and downstream businesses in the EMS industry and accelerate the pace towards intelligent manufacturing.
As the world becomes increasingly unpredictable, enterprises use artificial intelligence technology to improve supply chain resilience, achieve flexible production, and reduce the risk of order delays. Establishing a traceable production record has become an important means of controlling product quality in the fine division of work of consumer products. To avoid the risk of large-scale product recalls and repairs due to quality defects discovered by customers at the time of final delivery, upstream suppliers need to record detailed production information and production scheduling, and even implement stricter quality inspection requirements. These measures can help establish a production information tracking and management mechanism, reducing the scope of product recalls and lowering costs.
Contact: Frank Lin, Director | erir@iii.org.tw | +886-49-600-5051
More information: Video
SIMPPLE: SIMPPLE AI, the next-generation facilities management engine
SIMPPLE is an advanced technology solution provider in the emerging property-technology (PropTech) space, focused on helping facility owners and managers manage their facilities autonomously. Since 2016, the Company pushed new boundaries in the field of robotics for the cleaning industry, developed an integrated software system that connects Internet-of Things (IoT) devices, robotics, and the workforce all on a single unified proprietary dashboard solution that enables workforce optimization in areas such as building maintenance, security surveillance and janitorial services. As the Company continues to double down on innovation, the Company has developed a patent-pending process that leverages computer vision and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enable Smart Building Automation within a facility.
The Company’s next-generation facilities management engine, SIMPPLE AI, automates workflows within the facility, ensuring a higher standard of safety and hygiene as well as an enhanced user experience for contractors dealing with limited manpower. Through a national development grant call organized by the National Environment Agency (NEA) and Enterprise Singapore, SIMPPLE was awarded the innovation grant to implement SIMPPLE AI across three live sites owned by CapitaLand and NTUC Club. Leveraging existing/new facility assets such as CCTV cameras, SIMPPLE performs computer vision analytics (1) detecting Environmental and Security-related issues, (2) decide the next best call-to-action based on the situation, and (3) deploy the right asset – be it a robot or a human worker – to rectify the problem. This process of detection, decision, and deployment is first-of-its-kind where the solution is able to act on facility issues within seconds and can revolutionize the way buildings are being managed in future. With the development of AI in the Facilities Management industry, workers can focus on higher value-added tasks while getting on demand work orders that can enable higher service standards or improve the guest experience within a facility.
Contact: (Mr.) Alexus Goh / Head of Corporate Development, Partnerships and Government Relations Email: alexus@simpple.ai | Phone/Mobile: (+65) 8228 4110
Epsilon Net: Transforming the Workplace into a Tech Haven
Epsilon Net is a continuously growing Group of Companies dedicated to information technology, digital content development, and vocational training. It employs more than 1200 employees and has a certified network of 500 partners throughout Greece. As the catalyst in the Digital Transformation of Greek Enterprises, the Group invests continuously in state-of-the-art technologies offering a range of holistic solutions covering the most demanding and contemporary needs.
One of the key factors contributing to Epsilon Net's success as a Best Workplace is its commitment to fostering a supportive and inclusive work culture. The Group's management, committed to its people-centric approach and the promotion of a shared corporate vision, is continuously supportive of the employees and their families. The company values collaboration, teamwork, and mutual respect among its employees. Epsilon Net encourages open communication channels, ensuring that every team member's voice is heard and valued. Team-building activities, mentorship programs, and regular feedback sessions help foster a sense of belonging and empower employees to excel. Such an environment promotes innovation and creativity, enabling employees to thrive and contribute their best to the organization.
Epsilon Net exemplifies the qualities of an outstanding tech workplace. By cultivating a supportive work culture, providing growth opportunities, prioritizing work-life balance, and fostering innovation, Epsilon Net has created an environment that attracts and retains top talent in the IT industry. As Epsilon Net continues to lead the way in the tech industry, its dedication to providing an exceptional work environment sets a benchmark for other organizations to follow.
Contact: Grigorios Palianopoulos – Marketing Manager
Email: g.palianopoulos@epsilonnet.gr ? Phone/Mobile: +30 6976972195
Alliance Bank Malaysia Berhad: Virtual Credit Card (VCC)
Alliance Bank Malaysia Berhad (“Alliance Bank”) launched the Virtual Credit Card (VCC) open banking solution which is embedded in our partner’s mobile app in February 2022. The open-embedded banking solution is first of-its-kind in Malaysia where paperless and plastic-free VCC services such as application, QR payments, bill payments, and in-app payments are packaged into a zero-trust Software Development Kit (SDK) which is easily embedded onto our partner’s mobile e-commerce/wallet platforms. At Alliance Bank, we believe this solution empowers our partners to offer credit services to their customers on their mobile app to encourage further spending on their e-commerce platforms, and providing their customers a safe, secure, and convenient way to make payments without needing to worry about their credit card credentials being compromised. Just as important to note, customers also have access to use their VCC to transact on any other participating merchant partners’ platforms. This creates an eco-system that empowers the partner merchants to collaborate with one another to offer greater product and service offerings to the customers.
Alliance Bank VCC with DCN feature transforms the credit card business for both the merchant partners as well as the end-consumer customer. Developed in response to the ever-increasing threat of credit card compromises online with intention to reduce the use of plastic cards and paper forms, the solution removes the need for any physical or email interactions between the customer and the Bank and facilitate all application and transactional data on a secured mobile channel.
Contact: Eddy Teh, Assistant Vice President, Group Communications
Email: eddyteh@alliancefg.com | Phone/Mobile: +6017-7586519
The General Secretariat for Information Systems & Digital Governance (Ministry of Digital Governance): The Interoperability Center (KED)
The Interoperability Center (KED) of the Hellenic Ministry of Digital Governance is an information system developed and operated by the General Secretariat for Information Systems and Digital Governance as the main hub of all Public Administration information systems. Its main role is to provide web services for interoperability between different public entities so that access to multiple key administrative data for the implementation of any required administrative process is achieved. It also provides a safe authentication using the TaxisNet common authentication mechanisms across all gov.gr services, for all citizens and businesses. Therefore, the combined total contribution is the establishment and availability of automized digital services with secure and direct access to all information systems of public sector, from which only the requested data for each procedure can be derived, enabling the efficient development of public entities’ digital services for individuals and businesses.
The development and operation of KED as the only and official central hub for interoperability in the public sector, is a clear strategic choice that was made to ensure safety, privacy, efficiency, effectiveness and economies of scale in the design and implementation of data exchange between public sector bodies information systems to provide digital services to citizens and businesses. Thus, KED has been a core element of the digital transformation developments in Greece during the past recent years.
Contact: Mr Angelos Karvounis/ Head of Interoperability and e-Services Department,
Ministry of Digital Governance
Email: a.karvounis@gsis.gr | Phone/Mobile: +30 210 4803288
More information: INTEROPERABILITY CENTER_PRESENTATION__2_EN; INTEROPERABILITY CENTER_PRESENTATION_EN; INTEROPERABILITY CENTER_PRESS RELEASES_EN
Vasiliki Anagnostou, General Manager and Deputy CEO of Epsilon Net Group: Empowering Women in the Tech Industry with a Woman-Led Leadership
Vasiliki Anagnostou is an exceptional leader and a true trailblazer in the field of information technology. As the General Manager and Deputy CEO of Epsilon Net Group, she has demonstrated exemplary leadership skills, technical expertise, and a relentless commitment to promoting gender diversity within the tech industry. She is an Economist, holder of MBA in Accounting of NKUA and a member of the Association of International Accountants (AIA). At Epsilon Net, she has been Support Manager until 2007 and Production Manager until 2010.
Vasiliki Anagnostou is a staunch advocate for gender diversity and empowerment in the tech industry. She has been actively involved in various initiatives and programs aimed at promoting the participation of women in technology, both within Epsilon Net Group and in the wider community. Her dedication to creating equal opportunities and supporting women's professional growth has not only impacted the lives and careers of individuals but has also contributed to the overall advancement of the industry.
Vasiliki's Anagnostou exceptional contributions and achievements have garnered international recognition. Her recognition as the "World Woman Leader of Information Technology" at the "Who is Who International Awards" is a testament to her outstanding leadership, innovation, and influence in the tech industry. This prestigious accolade underscores her global impact and serves as a validation of her remarkable contributions. A milestone for her is the award of Epsilon Net as "Best workplace" by the international organization Great Place To Work for 9 consecutive years. This success is based entirely on her and the Group's anthropocentric philosophy. In conclusion, Vasiliki Anagnostou's leadership excellence, technical expertise, and commitment to gender diversity have made a lasting impact on the IT industry. Vasiliki's international recognition further reinforces her exceptional credentials and positions her as a role model for aspiring women to pursue careers in technology.
Contact: Grigorios Palianopoulos – Marketing Manager
Email: g.palianopoulos@epsilonnet.gr | Phone/Mobile: +30 6976972195
More information: Women_in_Tech_EPSILON_NET
Catherine Lian, Managing Director - IBM Malaysia
Catherine Lian was named Managing Director IBM Malaysia in April 2019. In this role, she is responsible for the growth and leadership of IBM Malaysia’ operations, which includes sales and distribution and IBM’s fully owned subsidiaries offering global delivery services – IBM Client Innovation Center.
As organizations reinvent themselves to outperform competition, Catherine will lead the Malaysia team to help clients, partners, and key stakeholders put smart to work in their organizations by applying IBM’s leading AI/cognitive solutions, cloud platform, and industry capabilities to advance digital transformation. An economics graduate from Universiti Utara Malaysia, Lian joins IBM from Dell Technologies where she has worked since 1998. She began her career as an account manager in Dell Penang and took on diverse management roles across ASEAN and South Asian markets including Malaysia, Korea, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, China, Bangladesh, Indochina, Cambodia and grew market share in the developing markets by 40% YoY. She was most recently the managing director at Dell Indonesia. At Dell, Lian was consistently recognized for overachieving business targets and was a recipient of the Dell’s Chairman Club award in 2018. An active advocate for women in leadership, Lian was part of Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network that supported women business owners by providing access to technology, capital, resources and networking. Lian continues to mentor aspiring talent in and outside the IT industry with the belief that by leading the way, aspirants are empowered to create thriving and sustainable global communities
More information: Get To Know Catherine Lian
Women and e-Commerce (WE)
Women and e-Commerce (WE) is a trust that promotes women entrepreneurs to flourish and create a presence of their businesses online by providing them with the support and skill set required to bloom in the market. Women and e-Commerce (WE) was founded on the 24th October, 2017 with the vision to assist and encourage Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) run by women and take them to a global level, help them acquire polished knowledge on how to run a business and other aspects related to the subject, and besides that, we aim to create a support system among all the women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh. Currently, 1.4 million members are connected in our Face- book group.
WE started with the purpose of establishing an extensive network of female entrepreneurs in Bangladesh. The organization believes in building a support system, creating educational opportunities and inspiring female entrepreneurs to turn their craft into business. To promote Bangladeshi products and help the female e-Commerce entrepreneurs to sustain their businesses and empower them , Women and e-Commerce (WE) working relentlessly.
To achieve our goals and mission, WE have organized a couple of events in the past few years, which have been successful among our women entrepreneurs and helped us gain recognition. Events such as
‘WE Colorful Fest’, ‘Buyer Seller Meet’, ‘WE Summit’, ‘Entrepreneurship Masterclass Series’, and various workshops are being held every year to empower women in the e-Commerce sector and bring them together to enrich their business by branding, Networking and promoting local products from every corner of Bangladesh.
Contact: Nasima Aktar Nisha
Email: nishabd2012@gmail.com | Phone/Mobile: +880 1711568710
More information: Website, LinkedIn; Facebook, Supporting Information
General Secretariat for Information Systems & Digital Governance (Ministry of Digital Governance): MyDESKlive
[MYDESKLIVE_LINKS_EN; MYDESKLIVE_PRESENTATION_EN;
MYDESKLIVE_PRESS_RELEASES_EN; MYDESKLIVE-BOOKING-en subtitles (VIDEO); MYKEPLIVE-BOOKING-en subtitles (VIDEO), MYKEPLIVE-OFFICER VIEW-en subtitles (VIDEO)]
SEPE, Greece
Industrial Technology Research Institute: ICT Innovation for Transformative Healthcare: iMAS (Intelligent Medical Assistant Solution)
[Industrial Technology Research Institute (ICT Innovation for Transformative Healthcare iMAS); Video; CISA list of nominees]
CISA, Taiwan
NHS: Learn from patient safety events (LFPSE) [techUK email]
techUK, U.K.
Trefle & Co. Ltd: Smart Industrial Training System
HKITF, Hong Kong
Marcilene Scamtamburlo: Mentor Rocinha – Smart Communities by MentorApp empowering low-income female entrepreneurship
ASSESPRO, Brazil
Fire Services Department, HKSAR: Striving for professionalism and continuous improvement – A revolutionary technological approach in Mountain Search and Rescue Operations
HKITF, Hong Kong
SPACE HELLAS: Installation of Meteorological Stations & Development of Web Portal Infrastructure for the Hellenic National Meteorological Service [Nomination Form]
SEPE, Greece
NEU Battery Materials Pte Ltd [SGTech email]
SGTech, Singapore
Kaohsiung City Government: Kaohsiung Health 3.0 Program [Video; CISA list of nominees]
CISA, Taiwan
Moldovan Association of ICT Companies: Tekwill in Every School [Supporting document]
ATIC, Moldova
[i2.d] technologies: The petranna™.db project [Certified Copy petranna; petranna.db.commercial; petranna.db.Whats.july2021 (VIDEO); Press Release.20200216]
SEPE, Greece
China State Construction Engineering (Hong Kong) Ltd): C-Smart All-in-one Smart Construction Integrated Platform [CSHK_C-SMART Intro-PowerPoint]
HKITF, Hong Kong
About WITSA
The World Innovation, Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) is the leading recognized international voice of the global digital tech industry, whose members are from over 80 countries and economies. WITSA is dedicated to advocating policies that advance industry growth and development; facilitating international trade and investment in digital tech products and services; strengthening WITSA’s national industry associations; and providing members with a broad network of professional contacts.
WITSA members are leaders in a globally interconnected marketplace. Because the challenges facing the tech industry are undisputedly global in nature, WITSA members work together to achieve a shared vision on important issues of common interest. WITSA makes it possible for its members — ranging from Mongolia and Argentina to Kenya and the United States — to identify common issues and priorities, exchange valuable information, and present a united position on industry issues. For more information on WITSA, please visit www.witsa.org
