ABU DHABI, 18th May, 2022 (WAM) -- The UAE's Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT), in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC), hosted a virtual tour of the UAE's science and technology ecosystem for Singapore's business, research and science community.

The virtual tour, hosted in cooperation with the UAE Embassy in Singapore, showcased the UAE's Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) strategy and the opportunities that exist for collaboration in advanced manufacturing.

The UAE Sci-Tech Virtual Tours, which was launched in 2021, is one of MoIAT's initiatives designed to help position the UAE as a global hub for science and technology and an enabling environment for the industries of the future. In addition to offering information on the UAE's science and technology capabilities, the virtual tours facilitate business-to-business introductions between stakeholders and investors and provide a platform for public- and private-sector stakeholders to exchange ideas and expertise.

More than 50 delegates participated in the virtual tour, which concluded with a high-level pitch session that directly connected Singaporean startups to UAE experts and investors, including senior executives from Emirati defence technology group EDGE, the technology transition arm of the Advanced Technology Research Council Aspire, MoIAT, and the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI). The pitch session connected Singaporean startups to potential investors from the UAE, as well as provided guidance on the relevant technologies needed to ensure maximum profitability and increased productivity and efficiency.

From his side, Jamal Abdulla Al Suwaidi, UAE Ambassador to the Republic of Singapore, noted, "The UAE is Singapore's largest trading partner in the region, and bilateral trade reached a record level in 2021 of over 21 billion Singaporean dollars. The two countries have several economic opportunities in the digital economy, green economy, smart cities, fintech, and agritech sectors, among others."

Al Suwaidi added, "Singapore has made major strides in advancing the 4IR. This outcome is the result of an exceptional ecosystem comprising the formulation and implementation of a set of policies, strategies, and economic vision."

Mohammed Al Qasim, Director of Technology Development and Adoption, MoIAT, said, "The virtual tour series is an essential component of the Ministry's work to promote collaboration with global counterparts and facilitate engagements with experts and investors around the world to benefit the UAE industrial sector. Forging relationships with leading companies and research institutions and attracting investment to key sectors are fundamental to these ambitions - which is why the virtual tours are proving to be so valuable.

"Through initiatives such as the UAE Sci-Tech virtual tours, the Ministry aims to engage in knowledge and experience exchanges with relevant stakeholders and ecosystems around the world. These initiatives allow us to underline the UAE's position as a platform for collaboration and a hub for science and technology. In turn, they contribute to the Ministry's overarching objective to transform the UAE's industrial sector into an engine for economic growth, innovation and diversification."

Al Qasim highlighted the recent UAE-Singapore partnerships in the fields of Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, smart cities, 5G adoption and cybersecurity.

"The UAE Sci-Tech virtual tours are proving very popular, indicating the enthusiasm of the global community to engage with the UAE's industrial sector. We look forward to arranging more virtual tours with our international partners in the coming months," he pointed out.

The event followed similar virtual tours held to promote the UAE's technology and science ecosystem to Israeli, Spanish and Korean delegations. The virtual tours are part of the MoIAT's mission to promote the UAE's industrial, technological and research capabilities and present opportunities for further collaboration and growth.