DUBAI, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed 12 memorandums of understanding on Monday with a number of future partners to develop an innovation and manufacturing area, UAE state news agency WAM reported.
"We launched the 2071 Area to be the region of the future innovation and manufacturing laboratories, and today we have signed 12 agreements with our partners in 11 vital sectors for implementation," said the Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, who attended the signing ceremony in Dubai's Emirates Towers.
"The aim of the agreements is to establish specialized laboratories and establish partnerships between the government and a group of global technology leaders to design the future," he said.
"The 2071 region will be the most developed and influential region in terms of industry and design for the future, and our goal is to make the UAE the largest laboratory for the design of the future," said Sheikh Mohammed.
He added that these MoUs were launched in order to meet the "UAE Centennial 2071" goals.
"This is part of the UAE's mission to adopt an integrated, modern and accelerated development strategy covering various development sectors in the country within the next five decades," said WAM.
The strategy seeks to meet its targets by 2071, the 100th anniversary of the UAE's federation (the Gulf Arab state was founded on December 2nd 1971.
Among the future partners signed Monday in the 2071 region are the United Nations, Pfizer, the world's largest pharmaceutical company, Procter and Gamble, Ernst and Young, Mohammed Bin Rashid State Innovation Center and Dubai's government-controlled carrier Emirates Airline.
In accordance with the MoU, a number of key challenges in the UAE sectors will be explored, to develop these sectors, including aviation, transport, logistics, health, retail, consumer goods and others.
The MoUs aim to develop technological solutions for more than 11 "vital sectors", said the WAM report.
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum inaugurated the "2071 Zone" at the Emirates Towers in Dubai last May to serve as an incubator for future design and manufacturing partners and as a venue for companies, services and smart laboratories worldwide. Enditem
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