Measuring up with the competition
WATCHING the F1 at Abu Dhabi on Sunday afternoon, I was amazed by the quality of design of the facilities that less than three years ago did not exist.
The Yas Marina Hotel and circuit, Ferrari World and the detail of the blue racing track was very impressive indeed.
It also illustrated the scale of the international competition that we face but we must not be deterred and remain globally competitive.
Just as we in the North East are crafting a reputation as a hub for science and technology enterprise – through various fields such as printable electronics and renewable energy – countless other global regions are doing the very same.
However, we must keep an eye on how these globally-dispersed innovation epicentres are operating and aim to stay one step ahead.
Through my association with the British Business Group (BBG) of Dubai and Northern Emirates, I have become a keen observer of the commercial science drive happening in reclaimed desert just six jet hours east of our shores.
Dubai and Abu Dhabi’s reputations as booming cities were dented during the economic crisis. However, the business and commercial centres of the UAE continue to invest in their long-term future.
The UAE vision of placing itself at the forefront of the science and technology industry did not waver in this uncertain economic climate and is now poised to be realised.
Driven by the Dubai Institute of Technology, plans are well under way for a science and technology park stretching across 21 million square metres of sand which aims to bring the world’s most advanced organisations together.
Meanwhile, partnerships and memorandums of understanding between the growing number of international universities in the UAE and multinational technology giants spanning the globe, continue to be signed on a seemingly weekly basis. All of which is helping to create a melting pot of innovation, research and ultimately commercialisation.
For the North East – a region which has similar ambitions and an understanding of the importance of exports to aid our recovery – Dubai’s emerging science and technology prowess presents both a challenge and a hugely lucrative opportunity.
In January, a number of delegates from our region will fly to the UAE for a trade mission which, for me, will be as much about forging new ties as investigating what we can learn from its science and technology strategy.
:: Stewart Watkins is managing director of the County Durham Development Company
