DHI InnoTech (Commercial arm of the Royal Government of Bhutan) Partners with Omdena to Drive AI Solutions in Bhutan

The Department of Innovation & Technology (InnoTech) under Druk Holding & Investments (DHI), the commercial arm of the Royal Government of Bhutan, has partnered with Omdena, a global collaborative platform that makes AI for good accessible to all. This partnership is a step further in DHI InnoTech’s mission to strategize technology and innovation pathways to enhance access and diffusion of emerging technologies, and build local capacity in the fields of science and technology.

The partnership will commence with the following activities:

The DHI Innotech-Omdena Hackathon and Challenge

Omdena will assist InnoTech in hosting a global 2-week hackathon wherein InnoTech will identify key themes and issues that can be resolved using innovative AI/ML applications. Omdena will work with 50+ AI engineers over an additional 8-week challenge to develop the idea or POC selected from the hackathon into a fully deployable algorithm.

The pilot InnoTech-Omdena event will serve as a showcase for local institutions and the general public who are interested in AI/ML.

Omdena School Initiative

The Omdena School’s mission is to empower learners with quality education in application of AI and ML while removing financial and geographical barriers. Bringing this initiative to life, Omdena will provide Bhutanese learners with access to a few relevant courses available at Omdena School to prepare them for the global hackathon and challenge. Further, Omdena will establish linkages with the Super FabLab and other institutions in Bhutan to explore additional means of realizing InnoTech’s AI/ML vision for the nation.

An Omdena Local Chapter

InnoTech will work with participants from the hackathon and students of the Omdena School to create Omdena Local Chapters to support continuous learning at the local level with some guidance from Omdena. Omdena´s mission, through the local chapters, is to run open-source AI projects to solve problems faced by the community. The local Bhutan chapter will provide an environment for anyone to gain AI skills by collaborating on real-world problems. The members of the local chapter will, therefore, be better positioned to solve similar problems at a local level in Bhutan using AI/ML solutions.

DHI InnoTech, since its formation in 2018, has prioritized human capacity building focused on inclusive uptake of STEM education. Omdena, on the other hand, is on a mission to run open-source AI projects to solve challenges faced by local communities, with the belief that training should be available and accessible to all. This partnership, thus, paves a new path toward accessible education and collaborative learning in Bhutan.

About DHI 

Druk Holding and Investments (DHI), the commercial arm of the Royal Government of Bhutan, was established in 2007 upon issuance of Royal Charter in 2007 “to hold and manage the existing and future investments of the Royal Government for the long term benefit of the people of Bhutan”. DHI is the largest and only sovereign holding company in Bhutan with shares in 21 different companies operating within the manufacturing, energy, natural resources, financial, communication, aviation, trading, and real estate sectors.

About Omdena

Omdena is a collaborative global platform and a community of AI engineers, working with different partners to build challenges that address real-world problems in social, environmental, and healthcare sectors. Omdena has more than 20,000+ collaborators in 120+ countries and 195+ local chapters. Omdena has worked with more than 220+ organizations on over 650 projects, such as detecting wildfires in Brazil, fighting malaria outbreaks in Africa, and improving solar adoption in Singapore.