Innovation Week Day 3: Agile Thinking and the Digital Battlefield
20 May 2026
Day three of Plekhanov Innovation Week brought forth two distinct sessions that challenged participants to think fast, work strategically, and confront the realities of an increasingly digital world.
The morning opened with Dr. Ali Abu Abbas leading an interactive Agile SCRUM workshop titled "From Idea to Market: Thinking and Acting Like Agile Business Teams." After an in-depth session, students across programs were divided into teams and given a live brief: conceptualize, structure, and sprint-plan a queue management app for the UAE market. The session was designed so that theory and practice collided in real time — students learned the framework and applied it immediately, working through product backlogs and sprint cycles while the concepts were still fresh.
The afternoon session was led by Dr. Anu Priya George, who was joined by Mr. Rohith Rajan, Chief Information Security Officer at DEF-X Cyber Intelligence, as a guest lecturer. Mr. Rohith delivered an open lecture for not only students but professionals from the wider community with an interest in cybersecurity. The session “The Digital Battlefield: Cybersecurity for the Next Generation,” took participants through the realities of modern cyber threats and the skills and mindset needed to navigate an increasingly complex digital landscape.
With two days still ahead, we are looking forward to more tech-focused sessions, an exciting competition, and a grand, forward-looking finish.
The morning opened with Dr. Ali Abu Abbas leading an interactive Agile SCRUM workshop titled "From Idea to Market: Thinking and Acting Like Agile Business Teams." After an in-depth session, students across programs were divided into teams and given a live brief: conceptualize, structure, and sprint-plan a queue management app for the UAE market. The session was designed so that theory and practice collided in real time — students learned the framework and applied it immediately, working through product backlogs and sprint cycles while the concepts were still fresh.
The afternoon session was led by Dr. Anu Priya George, who was joined by Mr. Rohith Rajan, Chief Information Security Officer at DEF-X Cyber Intelligence, as a guest lecturer. Mr. Rohith delivered an open lecture for not only students but professionals from the wider community with an interest in cybersecurity. The session “The Digital Battlefield: Cybersecurity for the Next Generation,” took participants through the realities of modern cyber threats and the skills and mindset needed to navigate an increasingly complex digital landscape.
With two days still ahead, we are looking forward to more tech-focused sessions, an exciting competition, and a grand, forward-looking finish.