OHK Supports the EBRD and Jordan’s Higher Council for Science and Technology Launch the National Center for Innovation at the 27th (2018) Annual Meeting and Business Forum

Jordan ranks 64th out of 141 economies in the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index and 64th out of 143 economies in the Global Innovation Index, the highest position among the economies of the EBRD’s southern and eastern Mediterranean (SEMED) region. To further advance its global standing Jordan is placing a greater emphasis on overcoming constraints that could hinder innovation in its increasingly diverse economy. Dr. Khaled El-Shuraydeh, Secretary-General of Jordan’s Higher Council for Science and Technology (HCST) succinctly sums up this ambition and the Council's role: "Jordan is far from realizing its innovation potential. The Council is leading the transformation of the country's innovation landscape and building a strategic framework to harness the collective power of hundreds of stakeholders. We are keen to lead beyond our region and improve Jordan's global innovation rankings.”

Jordan ranks 64th out of 141 economies in the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index and 64th out of 143 economies in the Global Innovation Index, the highest position among the economies of the EBRD’s southern and eastern Mediterranean (SEMED) region. Photo © OHK Consultants

The National Center for Innovation (NCI) was recently founded by the HCST to move Jordan's innovation ambition forward. A strategic spin-off organization that would strengthen the country's innovation ecosystem, the NCI will operate an innovation hub and marketplace for private and public stakeholders. In 2016/17, the EBRD and HCST worked together to complete the organizational blueprint of the NCI and a framework of founding objectives and leadership initiatives. The HCST Assistant Secretary-General for Technical Affairs and the NCI initiative director Dr. Fawaz El-Karmi explains the key obstacles the NCI aims to overcome: "the NCI is central to innovation transformation in Jordan because it will tackle stakeholder fragmentation and limited access to innovation markets. As the country’s lead innovation promotion agency, it will become an innovation enabler and market maker.”

EBRD’s 2018 Annual Meeting and Business Forum was held at the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Centre at the Dead Sea shores.  More than 2,000 visitors including government representatives, businesspeople, policymakers, academics and opinion leaders from the four corners of the globe attended the 3-day event. The event culminated with the official launch of the National Centre for Innovation on 10 May 2018. The launch was a high profile event and a testament to the emphasis the EBRD places on this initiative as a showcase for the SEMED region and transition economies.  Photo © OHK Consultants.

His Majesty King Abdullah II, in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Rania and HRH Crown Prince Hussein, inaugurated EBRD’s 2018 Annual Meeting and Business Forum, held at the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Centre at the Dead Sea shores. In a keynote speech, the King stressed that energizing the Jordan economy  “begins with investment in innovation, and 21st-century thinking; to adopt and adapt green practices; reimagine solutions; help economies leap-frog technology stages; and move directly to new capabilities. It begins with investment in private-sector growth and opportunity; to support entrepreneurs; create jobs; raise incomes; and expand development to all.” The King also reflected on Jordan’s push for improving the investment climate through better governance to nurture the environment for business growth. He added that strong encouragement for innovation is a national priority for the country in its pioneering role in ICT, start-ups and the creative industries.

The NCI vision echoes the King’s remarks when it defines the diverse and critical mission the organization will play in Jordan’s pioneering role in ICT, start-ups and the creative industries: 

“To be the portal of Jordan's innovation ecosystem and serve its stakeholders by means of an integrated, technology-empowered services platform, and to become a global leader in the use of technology in national innovation practices, enhancing the development of an innovation-based society towards a sustainable national economy.” 

The EBRD is supporting NCI’s strong vision of innovation transformation and implementing a technical support program that would bring it to full functionality. Heike Harmgart, Head of the Eastern Mediterranean Region at EBRD explains the program’s importance to EBRD’s work in this region and transition countries in general: "Our collaboration with the HCST from building the NCI vision to working together on implementation highlights some of EBRD's best governance transformation work in the SEMED region. Jordan's commitment to setting up and supporting the NCI sets an example for public institutions fostering innovation in transition countries." The EBRD is overseeing US$ 2.47 million in funding towards NCI's first two years of operation with support from the World Bank's Middle East and North Africa Transition Fund. 

By becoming a national hub for all matters related to innovation the NCI will not only implement new policies and programs fostering an innovation-based economy but will also improve the direct engagement between the private sector and public sector innovation stakeholders, including businesses, industrial companies, financiers, educational institutions, research centers, and a growing landscape of Jordanian technology and energy start-ups. Photo © OHK Consultants

NCI's success comes from the success of the innovation stakeholders its role supports. “The guiding principles and functions of the NCI are stakeholder focused. The organization's ethos is a long-term commitment to stakeholder collaboration and collective results,” says EBRD’s Esther Griffies Weld. Central to this approach is the development and management of an online platform and open marketplace, the Jordan Open Innovation Platform (JOIP), which fills the gaps in market linkages and enables coordinated actions between stakeholders. “The JOIP targets all stakeholders and offers a marketplace for all things innovation in Jordan. It’s a one-stop Platform through which the NCI will offer products that would improve how stakeholders perform innovation per their respective roles and needs,” says Ahmed Al-Okelly, manager of NCI's implementation program. The Platform signifies NCI's overall market-based approach in how it defines stakeholders as clients and envisions a Jordanian landscape for innovation where high-quality, cost-effective and easy-to-use services are readily available. The focus on excellence in services and stakeholder success is a common theme that runs through NCI's five founding objectives:

“Lead a Technology Transformation by Example – Foster a strong entrepreneurial spirit in Jordan's innovation ecosystem and lead by example, showcasing our entrepreneurialism through our platform.

Cultivate Open Collaboration – Facilitate common innovation initiatives that promote the commercialization of R&D with and among innovation stakeholders – our clients. 

Excel in Our Services – Align the excellence of our services with that of our clients, earning our clients’ continuous buy-in and focus on value creation. 

Make Results by Enabling Them – Gauge success through achieving results for our clients and strive to continuously improve innovation support processes, procedures, and activities. 

Take a Long Term Perspective – Commit to a services' model that can deliver financial sustainability and consistent and lasting improvement in clients' success and experience.”

HE Imad Fakhoury, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation and EBRD’s President Sir Suma Chakrabarti unveil the NCI brand identity at the EBRD 2018 Annual Meeting. OHK is in charge of realizing the NCI implementation program and developing its online platform and open marketplace, the Jordan Open Innovation Platform. Photo © OHK Consultants.

The official launch of the NCI with a multitude of national and international, public and private stakeholders took place during EBRD’s 2018 Annual Meeting. Princess Sumaya bint Hassan of Jordan, and Imad Fakhoury, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, accompanied by EBRD’s President Sir Suma Chakrabarti and Heike Harmgart, Head of the Eastern Mediterranean Region hosted an unveiling ceremony of the NCI brand identity. Princess Sumaya, a Board member of the HCST, is a global advocate of science and innovation, Chair of the Princess Sumaya University for Technology and President of the Royal Scientific Society. At the unveiling, HE Fakhoury stated that “the NCI is a milestone for innovation in Jordan and that its inception today will usher a much needed coordinating body for all stakeholders.”  HE Chakrabarti thanked the OHK team for working hard to realize EBRD’s vision of innovation and wished the collaboration with the HCST continued success.

The NCI identity integrates two core identity values. First, it emphasizes a Jordanian innovation identity. The NCI is Jordan’s governmental innovation promotion agency and the country’s open innovation market leader. Secondly it captures the country’s ambition to innovate further and beyond current limits and challenges, to enable reach into global innovation marketplaces. Photo © OHK Consultants.

Presentation of the NCI brand logo to the public for the first time marks a new chapter for Jordan's innovation transformation. A uniquely modern and proactive NCI brand with solid and strong aesthetics is imperative to its standing and stakeholder perception in today's crowded innovation marketplace. To be used throughout the NCI Platform and various events and collateral, the logo represents Jordan's ambition and echoes an innovative organization that performs services akin to global peers in leading innovation countries. The logo integrates two core identity values explains Dr. Fawaz El-Karmi: "a global brand that represents Jordanian innovation and NCI's promise to help stakeholders innovate beyond geography and market constraints."

OHK has developed Jordan’s innovation strategy in 2016/17 and was recently hired by the EBRD to implement EBRD’s 2-year program “Start-up Financing for the Establishment of the National Center for Innovation (NCI) and Transition to Full Operational Functionality.”  As a global consultancy tapped into innovation networks ranging from the Bay Area to the developing world, OHK will strengthen Jordan’s innovation and help build the NCI into a best-in-class organization. OHK’s Managing Partner, Ahmed Al-Okelly, manages this assignment on behalf of the EBRD and the HCST.  

For more information about OHK’s innovation advisory services in the Middle East and across the globe, contact us.