Ministry forms alliance for industrial greentech solutions

The UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) hosted the Industry 4.0 Champions Network 2nd Annual meeting in the World Government Summit, chaired by Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology. The meeting gathered CEOs of 18 major national and global companies.

The meeting was opened with remarks from Al Amiri who commended the champions on their efforts in supporting the digitalisation of the industrial sector, emphasising the importance of harnessing these efforts to lead the path towards Net Zero and invited the members to join the Industrial Sustainability Alliance led by the Ministry to drive the deployment and development of green technologies to accelerate sustainable industrial growth.

This alliance aims to highlight and promote deployment of new and emerging green technologies; showcase industrial sustainability best practices and flagships in the UAE’s industrial sector, as well as provide a platform for dialogue and exchange among policy makers, global technology experts and industry.

The main activities of the the Alliance will include greentech showcasing exhibits to increase awareness on the benefits of deploying these technologies in industrial operations; sustainability training for the industrial workforce, to instill concepts of efficiency, waste management and circularity in production processes; policy dialogues and knowledge exchange on industrial sustainability; and technical support in formulating sustainability roadmaps through the Industrial Technology Transformation Index (ITTI).

In addition to integrating greentech in industrial operations, the Alliance aims to support the development of new technologies to solve for climate challenges. This will include providing the necessary support to accelerate and scale up greentech startups and framing climate-specific challenges to crowdsource innovative solutions.

Sarah Al Amiri said: “COP28 takes place later this year in the UAE and the industrial sector is committed to the UAE Net Zero 2050 initiative. We will work with the Industry 4.0 Champions Network to showcase their pioneering efforts to transform the UAE into a hub for sustainable industry and advanced technology. Technology and sustainability go hand-in-hand, and we can only unlock the full potential of technology through partnership and collaboration, and this is why we are forming this alliance. It all comes in line with the Ministry’s programs to infuse technology across industrial production, leading to a lower carbon footprint.”

The meeting also discussed the achievements and progress of the Champions Network programs and initiatives which included the launch of the first Industry 4.0 Enablement Center in partnership with EDGE Group and engagements in more than 20 knowledge-sharing sessions, hackathons, apprenticeship programs, and more than 50 technology and sustainability projects.

The members were also briefed on the Technology Transformation Program and the recently launched Industrial Technology Transformation Index (ITTI), to define their role in driving these programs with the Ministry.

Members of the network also used the meeting to discuss participation and engagement in Make it in the Emirate Forum, and COP28, which the UAE will host later this year.

The meeting at WGS was attended by executives from Etisalat, Schneider Electric, Siemens, ADNOC, Strata, Du, Microsoft, IBM, EDGE, Huawei, Ericsson, SAP, Aveva, EGA, CISCO, Unilever, and Honeywell, who discussed avenues of collaboration, mutual opportunities as well as best practices.

The Champions Network was launched under Operation 300 billion as a key pillar and enabler of the Technology Transformation Program. It comprises a group of leading companies who exchange experiences and knowledge with the aim of promoting the adoption of advanced technology in industry and exchanging sustainability best practices.

MoIAT was established in July 2020, is mandated with strengthening the UAE’s industrial sector, specifically by accelerating the adoption of advanced technologies and Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) solutions across the value chain.

MoIAT has three overarching goals: Strengthening the UAE’s industrial base, ensuring in country value, and raising the competitiveness of local industries. By enhancing the contribution of advanced technology, the Ministry will support the country’s sustainable economic growth, and ensure GDP contribution from the industry sector.

The Ministry will draft policies, laws and programs to create a world-class industrial development framework for the nation that will help attract foreign direct investment, boost In-Country Value creation, support national entrepreneurship, drive job creation, and boost exports of ‘Made in UAE’ products.