Siemens Innovation Center will act as a home for new startups and technology that brings together customers, academia, industrial partners, and research centers to bring up innovative solutions that are crucial for the energy transition.
Siemens Energy plans to set up the Middle East innovation Center in Abu Dhabi with the support of the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) to hasten the journey to net zero in UAE and globally. The Innovation Center will be set up as part of Abu Dhabi Investment Office’s AED 2 billion innovation program that aids in creating business opportunities in the emirate. The partnership agreement was signed by the Acting Director General of ADIO, Eng. Abdulla Abdul Aziz AlShamsi and Dietmar Siersdorfer, Managing Director of Siemens Energy Middle East. The Innovation center will focus on developing energy technologies that are reliable, sustainable, affordable, and clean.
The Emirate’s efforts to decarbonize the economy and become a global hub for green energy and grow the knowledge ecosystem made Siemens Energy choose Abu Dhabi for its Middle East Innovation Center project. The Innovation Center will address the growing demand for sustainable energy and act as a source for Clean Tech Technologies. The Innovation Centre will contribute to the UAE’s goals of producing 50GW of renewable energy by 2050 and becoming a global energy center of excellence.
The innovation center in Abu Dhabi will become one of the four Siemens Energy Innovation Centers which are located in Orlando, US; Shenzhen, China; and Berlin, Germany. The center based in Abu Dhabi provides an ideal space with its low-cost energy, established industries, and infrastructure, says Dietmar Siersdorfer in a statement. Siemens Innovation Center will act as a home for new startups and technology that brings together customers, academia, industrial partners, and research centers to bring up innovative solutions that are crucial for the energy transition.
Fahad Alyafei, Siemens Energy Chief Technology Officer, Middle East, will be the head of the Abu Dhabi Innovation Center with the goal of developing new technologies that are innovative to accelerate the journey to net zero along with enriching the economy through creating jobs, transferring knowledge, and Emiratisation accompanying the development of the next generation of researchers.
ADIO, the government body responsible for attracting investment to the emirate will provide Siemens with financial and non-financial incentives to establish its new Middle East Innovation Center in Abu Dhabi. The center extends the company’s mission to meet the growing global demand for sustainable energy by accelerating innovative ideas and technologies, which could be added to Siemens energy’s existing services and products.
Eng. Abdulla Abdul Aziz AlShamsi, Acting Director General of ADIO, states that the UAE makes advances toward the net zero goal, and are giving primary importance to the development of new technologies to meet the demand for sustainable energy. The partnership between Siemens Energy and ADIO and will enhance the energy technology ecosystem with the establishment of new ideas and solutions that open pathways for the global energy transition. He further adds that ADIO will continue to partner with innovation-driven companies in high-impact sectors to help them reach the next stage of their growth.
Siemens energy will offer internships to students from Abu Dhabi university of which 50% of interns will be Emiratis. The Innovation Center will assist in knowledge transfer and developing new commercial solutions along with the strengthening of focused skillsets and creating around 70 highly skilled jobs in Abu Dhabi by the year 2025.
Along with aim of developing intellectual property, a goal to enable six industry partnerships and four Abu Dhabi university research partnerships by 2025. Innovation Centre will give its central focus on developing circular carbon economies and technologies incorporating green fuels, digital decarbonization solutions, electrification of heat and industrial processes, and fuel cells.
Dietmar Siersdorfer, Managing Director UAE and the Middle East, Siemens Energy states that in order to accelerate decarbonization and reach net zero faster, there is a need to leverage innovation and partnership. As one of four Innovation Centers, the Siemens Energy Innovation Centre in Abu Dhabi, in partnership with ADIO, will enable the firm to utilize the rich industrial ecosystem in Abu Dhabi, and work with academia and startups as well as public and private companies to develop and commercialize new technologies that will make a significant impact on carbon reduction.
Siemens Energy views Abu Dhabi as a long-term strategic partner given the emirate’s accessible critical assets that include the presence of critical non-oil logistical and heavy industries, low-cost and reliable renewable energy, and existing petrochemical infrastructure. UAE’s net-zero goals will be accelerated by the partnership by driving energy transition and assisting the Abu Dhabi entities to achieve their decarbonization targets.