Thales Emarat Technologies and Hub71 have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support the development of the UAE's innovation and education ecosystem. The reputable entities aim to bring together expertise from the industrial world, with the dynamism of Abu Dhabi's global technology ecosystem, Hub71, and local knowledge from universities to develop new technologies, leading to disruptive products and systems. As part of the agreement, Thales Emarat Technologies will work closely with Hub71 start-ups and other ecosystem members over the coming years to discuss and identify various collaboration opportunities. Hub71 members will have access to Thales Emarat Technologies events and workshops each year led by experts from Thales. In addition, Thales staff will join the Hub71 mentorship program. These initiatives will provide local entrepreneurs and start-ups with access to some of the most experienced engineers and developers from Thales's international network. In alignment with its strategy centred around industry, innovation and education, Thales Emarat Technologies is launching an annual challenge to engage entrepreneurs and students from local universities. The first Thales Hackathon is taking place on Oct. 23, 2020 and is now open for registration. Through the innovative use of digital technologies, participants will leverage the power of maintenance 4.0 to bring a high scale complex system to ultimate availability. Thales Emarat Technologies is a UAE company, fully owned by Thales. Hub71 is a global tech ecosystem located in the heart of Abu Dhabi, supporting the growth of start-ups in the region through incentives, access to market opportunities and funding. "Industry 4.0 has been playing an integral role in our economy by combining vast developments in disruptive technologies with physical production and operations. It is vital that the local youth is empowered to develop technologies that can be integrated into the industrial ecosystem, creating value and economic impact. Innovation, education, and industrialization are shared values between Thales and Hub71, and we are certain that our combined expertise will be beneficial to the local vision of sovereignty and autonomy," Bernard Roux, CEO of Thales in the UAE. "Our partnership with Thales supports our mission to connect our partners with innovation and empower the youth to develop ideas that harness technology and solve real-life challenges. We're going through a nation-wide digital transformation in Abu Dhabi and technology is at the heart of that. It's important that we engage and inspire future generations to become tomorrow's tech entrepreneurs and pioneers and sustain our future economy, Nader Museitif, head of partnerships and business development, Hub71. — SG
