UAE unveils its second Industry 4.0 Enablement Center

Dubai: The Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) signed a MoU with the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) to establish the UAE’s second Industry 4.0 Enablement Center within UAEU’s District 4.0, it said on Wednesday.

The new center will promote Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) applications, sustainability best practices, and stimulate technology adoption and development across the manufacturing value chain. It will include an area to demonstrate cutting-edge technologies, a space for collaboration, as well as a testing and innovation lab – all to build in-country 4IR capabilities, to promote co-development and testing of technologies and processes, and to support the commercialization and upscaling of new 4IR technologies.

Omar Al Suwaidi, Undersecretary of Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology signed the MoU alongside Dr. Ghaleb Al Breiki, Acting Vice-Chancellor, United Arab Emirates University, on the sidelines of the World Government Summit taking place in Dubai.

“This new center, launched as part of the Technology Transformation Program, will provide the industrial sector with a platform to support R&D, showcase and pilot technologies, applications, and use-cases with industry and technology partners,” said Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology. “The center will also support the manufacturing sector to embrace more sustainable operating models to boost efficiency and drive industrial growth with reduced emissions, to achieve the UAE’s Net Zero 2050 target”

Capacity Building

The District 4.0 Enablement Center will build capabilities through targeted training programs and apprenticeships. The center will educate industrial stakeholders on areas such as sustainability, smart digital factories, cognitive AI and robotics, fabrication, the circular economy, cloud and edge computing, cybersecurity and blockchain among other topics. The training will be delivered by experts from UAEU in collaboration with industry partners.

Similarly, it will provide expertise, space and support for the co-creation, piloting and prototyping of new technologies for industry, startups, academia, think-tanks, and government entities.