New MITA Innovation Hub opened

The new 170 square metre premises of the government agency MITA's (Malta Information Technology Agency) Innovation Hub were this afternoon officially opened at Smart City in the presence of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.

Describing it as a "small but significant step", Muscat said that the opening of this new extension reinforced government's underlying message that it wanted to nurture young people in the sector of ICT.

"It marks yet another step in the right direction," he said. "It is a gesture that signals government's intention to be present in the field."

Muscat said that the field had global potential but required more work to reach international markets. "This goes hand-in-hand with government's initiatives on venture capital," he said. "Through such developments, we could help to finance innovative ideas and tackle this deficiency."

Meanwhile, MITA's executive chairman Tony Sultana thanked government for showing its support in investing in innovation. He said this would go a long way in making Malta more competitive and, consequently, raising the level of economic growth.

"This investment by government will certainly spin off onto the economy," Sultana said. "We have hit the ground running with a rich stake of entrepreneurs already having showed an interest in what we are doing."

"Our aim is to help nourish the innovation of young local entrepreneurs."

Amongst the corporations to have expressed such interest are Microsoft, IBM and Oracle.