Area 2071, the innovation initiative which has been established with a physical presence at the foot of Dubai’s Emirates Towers building, will feature 10 different sectors, through which Dubai’s government will promote collaboration, reported Zawya. In total, 12 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with several companies including Pfizer, P&G, DP World, and IBM were announced at the event.
Abdulaziz Khalid Al Jaziri, the director of Area 2071, told reporters on the sidelines of a press conference held to announce the signing of a series of official partnerships, that the first phase of the Area 2071 hub at Emirates Towers will launch in May 2018.
He said: We will have 10 sectors, besides the government. The sectors will include food, retail, aviation, health, education, and artificial intelligence that is now a very important file in the country.” The UAE appointed the countrys first Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence in a cabinet reshuffle last week.
HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, attended the epoch-making event. A first-of-its-kind mission in the world, Area 2071 is part of the UAE Centennial 2071 goals to make the nation one of the most advanced countries on the planet. The transcendent mission seeks to find innovative solutions to current and future development challenges in a number of sectors.
Sheikh Mohammed said: “We launched Area 2071 to provide a zone dedicated to innovation and the industry of the future. Area 2071 will see specialised labs and partnerships between governments and global tech leaders, who will work together to design the future. Our goal is for the UAE to become a world-leading hub for designing the future; Area 2071 will be the most developed and influential area dedicated to that vision.”
The entities that signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Area 2071 included the United Nations; Pfizer, the largest pharmaceutical company in the world; Procter & Gamble; Ernst & Young; the Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation; the Dubai Department for Economic Development; Pico Capital; Genco General Contracting; IBM International; E11; 1776; Wamda Capital; and DP World.
DP World Group Chairman and CEO Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, said: By 2071 we see a world where todays global trade and logistics networks have been replaced. Technology will be automated and intelligent, connecting consumers to goods and services directly, removing the need for intermediaries and expensive infrastructure development. This will lead to a dramatic reduction in the cost of trade and a rise in global prosperity. Our vision is to lead this disruption of our sector and ensure that all innovation serves to benefit mankind.
Area 2071 currently includes the UAE’s Government Accelerators, which were established in 2016 as part of the government’s mission to intensify efforts and accelerate government work by addressing the challenges facing various public sectors.
The zone also includes the Dubai Future Accelerators, which are part of the Dubai Future Foundation, and which seek to develop an innovative system that links government entities in the UAE with the most important international experts in order to best serve the various vital sectors in the country. The Youth Hub, one of the world’s best centres for youth under the age of 30 to work and develop innovative ideas, is also part of Area 2071, as is Services 1, a model for the future of government services wherein a single visit and/or one consolidated payment can work across all government sectors.
Following the signing of the MoUs, several key challenges in various sectors will be explored, including in aviation, transport and logistics, health, retail, consumer goods, technology and more.
Area 2071 will seek to help humanity as a whole by providing a model, developed by the finest minds, experiences and resources in the world, to face the most pressing humanitarian challenges and build our future societies.