Organised by the ENISIE Project at the Malta Innovation Hub within the Malta Life Sciences Park, the well-attended event formed part of the Malta Innovation Summit 2019 further contributing to the current wave of social innovation.

After a brief introduction, the session kicked off with a SWOT analysis [a technique used to determine and define strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats] of the Malta Innovation Hub where participants, hailing from various industries, voiced their thoughts and suggestions.

Drawing from her international experience and knowledge of innovation tools, Ms Glad conducted multiple exercises inviting the participants to engage and exchange their perspectives. The final part of the day-long event saw an in-depth group discussion on thematic areas such as e-health, food technology and sustainable tourism.

“As a practice, innovation to me is about understanding ourselves as living systems in constant cycles of creation and closure whereby we see the closing of a phase as feeding into a new one. We make our organisations and businesses more resilient if innovation is an embedded and ongoing practice. There are techniques and methodologies with which organisations can ensure a continuous cycle of innovation,” Ms Glad told Business Malta earlier.

“Events like these serve as an incubator for innovation and thought-provoking discussions bringing the entrepreneurship aspect of an organisation closer to the community it operates in. Our aim is to foster a culture of collaboration and participation between businesses and communities which will result in a successful positive social impact,” said Ing. Joseph P. Sammut, Chairman of the Malta Life Sciences Park.

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If one runs a Google search for the word “innovation”, the world’s number one search engine — and portable operating system provider, and email services provider, and video streaming platform provider, etc — will list more than 4.1 billion results in a fraction of a second — 0.6 sec to be precise. Astounding result for a passion project that started from a garage a bit more than two decades ago.

Since then, the online world has reshaped how we think about our lives and businesses alike. Innovation — or (the use of) a new idea or method, according to the Cambridge Dictionary — has come a long way since the wheel was invented, or the first Ford Model T hit the streets rolling rather loud and slow.

Fast forward to today; innovation appears to be both an end result and also a practice. “As a practice, innovation to me is about understanding ourselves as living systems in constant cycles of creation and closure whereby we see the closing of a phase as feeding into a new one. We make our organisations and businesses more resilient if innovation is an embedded and ongoing practice. There are techniques and methodologies with which organisations can ensure a continuous cycle of innovation,” Tatiana Glad, founder and director of Impact Hub Amsterdam, tells Business Malta.

Kicking off at 08:30 in the morning of 10 October, the Co-Design Session will be organised by the ENISIE Project which is funded by INTERREG Italia – Malta Programme, as part of the Malta Innovation Summit 2019.

Innovation can be driven by “creating both safe and provocative spaces for people to think out-of-the-box […]”

For innovation and design, out-of-the-box thinking has increasingly become a skill of importance, even if the notion is becoming commonplace for some. Still, how can innovation be driven? “By creating both safe and provocative spaces for people to think out-of-the-box and experiment with putting new ideas into practice,” according to Ms Glad. “As well as honest conversations about failure! External facilitators can help keep the innovation workshops neutral and unbiased in order to maximise the contribution of the diverse contributors,” she adds.

It is a commonly accepted fact that great ideas are rarely sparked in a vacuum. Dialogue and open discussions can lead to the inception of intriguing brain pickings and provide the social network for collaborations developing a bold concept into reality. “My team is currently focussing on spurring innovation in specific societal issue areas and working with diverse stakeholders in an ecosystem approach. Just as the expression says ‘it takes a village to raise a child,’ we believe it takes an ecosystem to raise an innovative idea or startup. We do this in the areas of food, inclusion, circularity and plastics, as well as city-wide with the city of Amsterdam,” Ms Glad tells BM.

Impact Hub Amsterdam, as part of the global Impact Hub network of impact entrepreneurs and innovators with more than 16,000 members in over 100 cities around the world, invests great effort in making change happen. The hub says it facilitates entrepreneurial solutions to society’s biggest challenges, supported by access to its network and business expertise. Additionally, the hub can provide resources and capital in need, organises events, hosts a collaborative working space, and runs a series of accelerator programs. 

Driving innovation

Lately, Malta has been positioning itself as a real innovator on the brink of the European continent. Since 2007, the country has become one of the leaders in terms of regulating and supporting online gambling development, and more recently, with enhanced focus on blockchain and distributed ledger technologies, crypto, artificial intelligence, digital games and eSports, as well as progress related to medical cannabis, the island nation is making efforts in the field of state-of-the-art innovation. “There is real on-the-ground commitment such as The Malta Innovation Hub at the Malta Life Sciences Park as a provider of support services to stimulate social innovation among Maltese stakeholders,” Ms Glad says about Malta’s role in innovation.

Despite the 21st century delivering such a fertile ground for innovation, projects will bump into difficulties down the road. One of the most important challenges, Ms Glad says, is how to translate a bigger vision for positive change to the society into a product or service that meets real needs. Then the next challenge is to “access the capital it requires at various stages of its growth trajectory without compromising on its values. From the innovation point of view, established enterprises and public services need to be open for innovation from outside sources. Innovative SME are more agile to develop innovative products, processes and services and a pilot contract for such innovation within the established organisations can have a real impact,” she says.

No matter how good an idea is, however, if it finds no surrounding support it might not blossom into a working project. “The lack of support or space for experimentation, coupled with an impatient demand for results or return” can undermine innovation easily, Ms Glad says. “It is important to have support for innovation within an organisation through regular innovation workshops. Participation in innovation workshops needs to include staff, shareholders, customers and community representatives to ensure a successful, positive social impact. Innovation sometimes needs time to follow its natural path and allow something surprising to emerge,” she adds.

Nevertheless, Ms Glad has a strong message to all the startups that are caught up in the storm of pressure by high expectations and myriad of chores to be handled to make their project operate and deliver added value at the same time. One should “not be afraid to collaborate with others whether they be peers that help you learn faster together or partners who can bring valuable know-how and resources to the table. Don’t go at it alone,” Ms Glad concludes.

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The eight awards organisers are expecting applications for are as follows:

• Award for Best Tech Startup,
• Award for Creative Innovation,
• Award for Scientific Innovation,
• Award for Technological  Innovation,
• Award for Top Investor,
• Award for Digital Disruptor,
• Award for the Best Service Provider,
• Award for Tech for a Better World.  

For the first time, the awards have the scope to give exposure and credit to all the “hard-working companies and individuals in the tech sphere” in Malta, according to the press release. 

“The awards will shed a spotlight on the ongoing tech activity in Malta, the innovative projects, and the solutions created which will give back to the community but most of all the awards will boost the creative thinking and tech talent which is part and parcel of the growth of the digital economy of our islands,” said parliamentary secretary Silvio Schembri. 

A judging panel will decide on the awardees, while in the case of the Best Tech Startup, a specific judging panel will be set up to rank all applications and determine the three finalists and award winner. The three finalists will be invited to the MCA eBusiness Awards Event.  

Nominations can be placed through the official website of the summit by noon on 18 September.

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The group is managed by SOL Networks, which is an umbrella brand for more than 15 projects including Dating.com, Lovinga and Tubit.  

“Operating SOL Networks from Malta has not just been enjoyable; I believe it has been crucial to our success,” board director Alla Gubenko told Business Malta.

“Our businesses are all about connecting with people, and being headquartered in Malta lets us do just that. The business climate is ideal, the location offers access to European and emerging markets, and the government is extremely supportive. We couldn’t be happier or more excited about the future,” Ms Gubenko told BM.

Dating.com said it has noticed that dating app users are increasingly “uninterested or unimpressed” with swiping left or right when deciding whom they would or would not like to date with. Therefore, the platform added a live streaming service to its array last year, to allow members to communicate and interact with more matches at once. 

“We are committed to continuing to lead the way in helping people make genuine, lasting connections around the globe,” said Alla Gubenko, board director in Dating.com Group.

“Focusing on business development and technology investment represents the best way to increase the quality of the industry generally and the capitalization of our company specifically. To that end, we are excited to help produce the next generation of live-streaming products and to acquire IP products in the near future,” Ms Gubenko added. 

“We are one of the fastest-growing companies in Malta and operate a global social discovery platform Dating.com Group. It enables people from around the globe to connect through the power of shared interests and mutual benefits. The group’s brands include Dating.com, DateMyAge, LovingA, Tubit, AnastasiaDate, ChinaLove. We have more than 73 million registered users across the globe,” Ms Gubenko.

SOL Networks is an international internet-holding company headquartered in Malta. Dating.com Group has offices in seven countries and a staff of more than 500 with more than 73 million registered users across the entire portfolio.

EDITORIAL NOTE: The present article has been updated with Anna Gubenko’s comments about the role of Malta in the operations of the group.

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Minister Cardona said that he believes that the productivity of innovative companies will increase who will be able to grow and provide new jobs. This might drive change to established businesses, health and care, transport, energy, built environment and creative industries.

HandsOn mainly develops software that allows GPS tracking of vehicles and fleet management. The company has strengthened and diversified its business through government grants and incentives and made international contacts through Trade Missions organised by Trade Malta and Malta Enterprise, according to the DOI.

Between 2014 and 2017 the company has experienced a 57% growth increase. It has recently moved to a new facility within the Mosta TechnoPark that allowed for more workspace to research and develop their products, as the press release says.

“Our economy has grown steadily and has reached unprecedented levels. Our next challenge is to aim for better, not bigger. To move away from mere economic growth and toward equitable and sustainable well-being. Success will be judged in new ways and the government acknowledges the importance of innovation and technology in the shaping of that future,” said Mr Cardona.

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The summit provided insight into various initiatives and projects undertaken by Maltese research and businesses, as well as the innovation support available through Malta Enterprise and the Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCAST). It also touched on R&D and innovation-related progress at the Malta Life Sciences Park, Trade Malta, and the University of Malta, according to the press statement

The representatives from Malta Enterprise and MCAST took part in the Innovation Funders meeting, which brought together top-level attendees involved in innovation support from over 30 countries, the EUREKA network and the European Commission, as the press release says.

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The sum was presented in the form of awards of €6,000 each. Three of the awards were sponsored by ENISIE, a project which was created to enable innovation through services and institutional engagement between Sicily and Malta. The fourth award was presented by the Valletta Design Cluster and the Malta Innovation Hub.

“Profit with Purpose showed just how many great social innovation ideas are out there. It was so encouraging to see dozens of entrepreneurs coming forward with viable commercial projects that also tackle a societal issue,” said Joseph Sammut, Chairman of the Malta Life Sciences Park.

“The final pitch for the awards was very impressive and the independent judging panel found it so hard to choose the winners that, in fact, and an extra award was added to the three originally planned,” Mr Sammut added.

Through the awards, the winners will benefit from €6,000 each in support services including hot desk access and business development consultancy expertise.

Profit with Purpose was organised together with the Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector and also Impact HUB Siracusa and Tree. The four organisations are part of ENISIE, which is supported by the European Union’s Program INTERREG V-A Italia-Malta, which provides funds for intra-regional projects.

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Air Malta expects the Anypoint Platform to help the company in building an application network, which could enable the airline to quickly connect new technologies with existing legacy systems. Air Malta hopes to extend its digital presence and increase profitability by participating in the API economy, which enables business capabilities to be monetised using APIs.

MuleSoft Inc provides an integration platform to help businesses connect to data, applications and devices across on-premises and cloud computing environments. By using the Anypoint Platform, Air Malta expects to quickly acquire new technologies as well as to add new airline partners — such as Lufthansa and Ryanair — for growth, more seamlessly.

“Air Malta recently reported profitability for the first time after two decades, growing operating revenue by €5.3m to €197.5m in the last fiscal year. Technology investment had been a critical driver of this success, with MuleSoft at the centre,” said Alan Talbot, Chief Information Officer of Air Malta.

“With Anypoint Platform, we have created a sandbox for innovation across the organisation without affecting core operations. MuleSoft provides a unified platform that enables even non-technical personnel to quickly create integrations. By democratising access to data from legacy systems and across our enterprise, we are able to create new operational efficiencies and identify opportunities to better serve our customers,” the CIO added.

One of the biggest problems of the airline industry today is that the ageing IT infrastructure that can no longer be used in the modern digital world hampers growth and profitability, according to the recent Connectivity Benchmark Report. IT leaders say their legacy infrastructure makes it hard to introduce new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), big data and the internet of things (IoT). Therefore, airlines appear to be struggling to innovate, operate efficiently and offer personalised services.

However, MuleSoft insists that its hybrid integration platform offers solutions for modernisation by allowing to connect to the latest cloud technologies and differentiating the services offered. Their technology allows users to create flight planning solutions, to optimise route planning, to handle reservations faster and to sell flights from the website of other airlines.

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Parliamentary Secretary for Financial Services, Digital Economy and Innovation Silvio Schembri launched the initiative, which is done through a collaboration with Malta Business Network, with the involvement of stakeholders active in the industry.

Since the lack of female participation in the sector is a challenge across Europe, with this move, Malta is hoping to strengthen its position on a global scale further. Despite comprising 52% of Europe’s population, women only hold 15% of ICT-related jobs in the continent, which figure is even lower for Malta: 2.7%.

“The past few years have seen an unprecedented rise in digital and communications technologies, which, together with the digital economy, have dramatically changed every aspect of life as we know it,” Mr Schembri said. At the same time, the skills and competency levels of ICT professionals have undergone a substantial deficit, which issue the government hopes to remedy through higher female participation in this industry, the parliamentary secretary added.

Mr Schembri also noted that Malta was the first European Union member state who launched a National eSkills Strategy, aspiring to address the need for continuous professional development and upskilling specialisation of the workforce in the sector.

The parliamentary secretary also underscored the importance of making existing initiatives more accessible to young women. “We need to collectively strive to end gender stereotyping and cultural discouragement which negatively affects our young women and their opportunities in the digital labour market,” Mr Schembri concluded.

Efforts to include women to a higher ratio in the IT industry appear to come in time. On the one hand, women have traditionally been discouraged from choosing a career related to engineering or information and communications technology globally. On the other hand, the pay gap has been significant between men and women internationally, favouring men over women in the same positions; an issue that is recently being addressed on a broader scale by companies and legislators.

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