Newswise — Masdar Institute showcased research innovations and participated in discussions on how to support the commercialization of R&D at the inaugural Global Manufacturing and Industrialization Summit (GMIS) in Abu Dhabi, which took place on 27-30 March.
The summit was hosted by the UAE Ministry of Economy and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). As the world’s first ever cross-industry forum, GMIS aimed to promote a roadmap for future industrial development to parallel growth in international trade and global best practices and to create a universal consensus for the transformational approach needed to shape the future of manufacturing by unifying governments, businesses and civil society.
Dr. Behjat Al Yousuf, Interim Provost, Masdar Institute, said: “Our participation in such a high-profile global event reflects our status as an academic institution focused on research and innovation of relevance to industries and consumers in the region and the across the globe. GMIS proved to be a useful platform for our interaction with government and industry stakeholders and we look forward to exploring and developing the relationships formed through our participation in this summit.”
More than 1,200 delegates, including heads of state, government leaders, ministers, policy makers and corporate executives from leading companies, attended the summit. The discussions focused around six themes: technology and innovation; global value chains; skills, employment and education; sustainability and environment; infrastructure; standards and stakeholder alignment.
Dr. Steve Griffiths, Vice President for Research, participated in a panel on the UAE’s strategies to promote a knowledge-based manufacturing and industrial innovation sector as well as global economic and trade trends.
Dr. Mohammad Atif Omar, Professor, Engineering Systems and Management, offered his perspectives during a workshop on models to ensure a supply of well-trained talent to support the manufacturing revolution. The panelists focused on the development and application of technologies and business models of how big data and the Internet of Things (IoT) can accelerate the development of the ‘connected/smart factories’ concept. Discussions also focused on the ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’ and the accompanying skill set and training required to equip the students and future engineers to function effectively.
Masdar Institute, which is part of the newly-established Khalifa University of Science and Technology, showcased some of its most recent research innovations to stakeholders at the Summit’s Innovation Circle. This included a project that identified local botanical extracts with potential skincare applications, a collaborative project with New York University-Abu Dhabi for 3D printing of next-generation catalytic converters to treat and purify exhaust gas, a nano-crystalline coating for energy-saving glass to block IR radiation, and new scalable manufacturing process for a dual-junction PV solar cell through a collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Additionally, two joint research projects with Strata Manufacturing were showcased by the UAE-based composite aero-structures manufacturing company at the summit. The projects covered predictive shimming and thermography for non-destructive testing.
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