Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/922844
45 maltatoday, SUNDAY, 7 JANUARY 2018 Information Technology sations can be achieved. MITA's employees will be upskilled accordingly so that they can use blockchain technology in Govern- ment and public entities. Government will also be creating a Blockchain Hub to attract start-ups that can strengthen the ecosys- tem to become a blockchain island. Launch of a Next Generation myHealth Portal The Ministry for Health, through the col- laboration with MITA, launched a 'Next Generation' myHealth Portal which is a revamped and improved version of the previous myHealth portal that had been in operation since 2012. Through the my- Health Portal, citizens and private medical doctors can access and view medical re- cords which are maintained in the Maltese public healthcare system. The Student Placement Programme and other initiatives for ICT students In 2017, MITA launched the Student Placement Programme which has been ongoing for several years. Through this programme, Government can facilitate the creation of temporary work opportunities for students in the ICT sector. These placements also help to guide stu- dents towards a career in ICT, thus avoid- ing the struggle to find a competent work- force to work in the sector. At the same time, students can get an idea about the work environment and how they should behave accordingly. For the first time, in 2017, MITA hosted an event for the students who registered for the Student Placement Programme, where they were given the opportunity to discuss their future with IT professionals from MITA while enjoying a nice environment. In the meantime, MITA reconfirmed its commitment towards ICT students through several measures. It signed sponsorship agreements with the ICT Student Associa- tion and with the Kunsill Studenti MCAST, together with a two-year framework agree- ment with the University of Malta. Through the latter, students who are studying in different faculties of the Uni- versity will experience and familiarise themselves better with the practical as- pects within the IT industry. A Corporate Financial Management Solu- tion in Government Together with the Ministry for Finance and the Treasury, MITA launched a Corporate Financial Management Solution that will support accrual-based core financial ap- plications and will replace the Departmental Accounting System that was used for sev- eral years. SUNFISH project SUNFISH is a project financed by the Euro- pean Union research programme – Horizon 2020 and which aims at finding new solu- tions, particularly for the European public sectors, in the integration of cloud systems. At the same time, it tries to overcome legis- lative barriers which make it difficult to use commercial technology solutions available. MITA, as part of the consortium involved in the SUNFISH project, presented the results from the research and innovation project during a conference. MITA's Executive Chairman, Tony Sultana explained how this project addresses the issue of not having a cloud federation solution that is secure-by- design and uses blockchain technology to find a solution. YouStartIT#2 accelerator Last year, MITA's Innovation Hub launched its YouStartIT#2 accelerator programme through which ten finalists pitched their business idea and five of them were award- ed €22,000 seed investment. It was also a special year for MITA's accelerator because it was the third anniversary since its inaugu- ration in 2014. Game Jam The last event for 2017 was Game Jam – a 45-hour event in which 54 students from different educational institutions had the possibility to create 13 educational game prototypes. The topic for this year's event was focused on computing at Matsec / Ad- vanced level. The winning team – The Flying Dutchman, with their game Packet Defence won the opportunity to attend a workshop with the Head of MIT Game Lab, Scot Osterweil. To- gether with the runner-ups – Cipher Yellow, the members of The Flying Dutchman also won a summer placement at MITA through the Student Placement Programme. exciting 2018 MITA was an important partner before and during the six months of the EU Presidency when Malta held hundreds of important meetings. As part of the first phase of the Mobile Government Strategy, MITA in collaboration with the Office of the Principal Permanent Secretary, launched the first set of mobile apps to be used by the general public. The President of Malta, Marie Louise Coleiro Preca visited MITA's Head Office where she was given a presentation about MITA's Corporate Social Responsibility. The last event for 2017 was Game Jam – a 45-hour event in which 54 students from different educational institutions had the possibility to create 13 educational game prototypes. Parliamentary Secretary Silvio Schembri met with MITA's senior management who gave him an overview about MITA's projects.