In a conference called Five, to commemorate the five years since the Maltese Digital Innovation Authority (MDIA) was founded, a look was given at the successes and the leap forward that our country has made in this area.
Minister for the Economy, European Funds and Lands Silvio Schembri said that back in 2018 he had pushed forward the Act on the Digital Innovation Authority of Malta, the Act on the Virtual Financial Assets and the Act on Innovative Technology Arrangements and Services, which have paved the way forward for our country in the field of innovation. “It was thanks to what we did five years ago and with the work of the MDIA that Malta is today considered a hub of digital excellence. As a country we have found the balance between regulation, innovation, competition and consumer protection so that all those involved in these sectors can work and roam in an environment that advances the advanced technology in a safe way,” said Minister Silvio Schembri.
The Minister recalled how Malta was the first country to create a regulatory framework for virtual financial assets, such as the blockchain and crypto industries. Today these laws are being adopted throughout the European Union. “The MDIA was instrumental in having 6 pilot projects in governmental entities, in various fields that work with artificial intelligence, with an investment of €4.1 million. Next year we will be reviewing our policy on Artificial Intelligence to reflect today’s needs,” repeated Minister Schembri.
Education and training remain an important pawn for our country to keep moving forward in innovation and the MDIA together with other entities within the Ministry for the Economy, Tech.mt and the eSkills Foundation, led a Bootcamp and Summer School to encourage more students to learn about the advanced technologies that are around us. In addition, through Pathfinder, the MDIA continues to help students with scholarships in the fields of Artificial Intelligence, information security, robotics, quantum computing and machine learning.
“Thus, from now on, we will continue to cultivate the talent we need tomorrow,” said Minister Schembri. During the coming year, the MDIA will be setting up DiHubmt, a place that will help start-ups on their way to develop their innovative products. Among others in DiHubmt there will be High Performance Computing. Minister Silvio Schembri wished the MDIA to continue on its path and lead our country to the forefront of the digital revolution we are living through.
