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MT 8 January 2017

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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 8 JANUARY 2017 40 Feature 2016: a challenging but successful The past year was a challenging but successful one for MITA. Through the support, dedication and commitment of its employees, the steps into 2017 with confidence, convinced it will be another successful year. PAUL COCKS highlights the initiatives that made the agency stand out in 2016. MITA opened its doors to the public As part of the Public Service Week 2016, MITA held an Open Day for the general public at the MITA Data Cen- tre in Santa Venera. Visitors had the opportunity to tour around the MITA Data Centre facilities. An overview of the Government ICT infrastructure and the different specialised ICT de- partments was delivered by a number of MITA employees. It was also an opportunity for students to meet ICT professionals in order to get Career Guidance in networking, develop- ment, system administration and op- erations. Extended collaboration with the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy (FEMA) MITA has forged a solid business relationship with FEMA within the University of Malta and currently contributes to the Bachelor of Sci- ence (Hons) in Business and IT. The Digital Outreach Unit within MITA is in its second iteration in the delivery of the 'ICT Industry Insights' study unit, which provides students with practical insights into the daily challenges of a large ICT-serving public organisation. The topics within the unit cover vari- ous elements of the ICT programme management and service delivery. The context within which MITA operates is also covered. StartAPP 2.0 – three startups awarded €22,000 The winners of the fourth call for startups by the MITA Innovation Hub were announced on 12 March at Smart City. For this call, the startups had to experiment with satellite data. This was possible thanks to MITA's col- laboration with the Malta Council for Science & Technology through their membership of Eurisy. Eight startups pitched their idea in front of a crowd of around 60 people and shared their ideas and replied to questions asked by three judges. At the end of the event three startups were awarded €22,000. Student Placement Programme 2016 For the eighth consecutive time, MI- TA launched the Student Placement Programme (SPP) for which more than 500 applications were received. In all there were 96 organisations that con- tributed to provide a working experi- ence to the 326 students that were engaged. Girls in ICT Day The Girls in ICT Day is a global ini- tiative, organised on a yearly basis by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), to raise awareness on em- powering and encouraging girls and young women to consider studies and careers in ICT. MITA delivered a full programme of activities aimed at girls between the ages of 11 and 13 years. In all there were 70 girls who partici- pated in this exciting programme. MITA strengthened its support towards ICT students MITA continued to show its support towards ICT students by sponsoring the ICT Student Association (ICTSA) and the Kunsill Studenti MCAST. Mobile Government Strategy launched The Maltese Government, through MITA, launched a Mobile Government Strategy with the vision of providing 24x7 public services that are acces- sible anytime and from anywhere. Be- fore launching the strategy, MITA and the Office of the Principal Permanent Secretary launched a green paper that was open for consultation with the public and businesses. By March 2017, MITA will launch the first batch of mobile apps to be used by the gen- Development of a number of mobile apps for different organisations During 2016, MITA was busy developing mobile apps for different organisa- tions, including an app which was developed for Heritage Malta. It offers vari- ous interactive audio-visual features that enhance the visitors' experience at the Tarxien Temples. The app was developed by startup Otus that was funded by MITA Innovation Hub. The same concept was adopted in the development of a mobile app for the Planning Authority. Startup LLUMI created a mobile app which facilitates pub- lic access to various services such as planning applications and enforcements. MITA developed another mobile app for the National Blood Transfusion Ser- vice. The app – donated as part of MITA's ongoing corporate social responsi- bility – facilitates the communication between the National Blood Transfusion Service and the blood donor community. MITA hosted a number of distinctive guests During 2016, MITA had the opportunity to host a number of distinctive guests. These included e-Government experts from Estonia; representatives from the Danish Government IT Agency; a delegation from the Mozambique eGovern- ment and Communications Infrastructure and the European Association of Public IT Service Providers (EURITAS). MITA launched the National Cyber Security Strategy MITA also launched a National Cyber Security Strategy that will serve as a framework to protect systems, networks and information on the internet, to- gether with the people who make use of these services respectively. A green paper had previously been launched with the Ministry for the Economy In- vestment and Small Businesses, the Armed Forces of Malta, the Malta Police Force, the Malta Communications Authority and the Malta Critical Infrastruc- ture Protection Directorate. Consultations sessions were then held with the public and with businesses.

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