IPA Qatar and Iberdrola to advance Qatar digital utility and innovation
Investment Promotion Agency Qatar (IPA Qatar) and Iberdrola Group have announced a partnership to establish an innovation centre to advance he digital utility industry in Qatar.
The partnership will expand the Spanish group’s Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) activities through the Doha-based Iberdrola Innovation Middle East.
Its goal is to pave the way for the technology hub and develop potentially innovative products and solutions for government and businesses, particularly in Qatar’s expanding utility sector.
The hub, currently located in Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP), attempts to tackle technology challenges regarding digitalisation of the electrical grid by developing solutions in smart grids, renewable energy integration and energy efficiency.
The IPA Qatar-Iberdrola partnership further sets the framework to develop local talent through Iberdrola’s skills development and training programmes. It also entails Iberdrola’s knowledge transfer and sharing of Intellectual Property (IP) rights with relevant educational and industrial institutions.
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MoU
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Sheikh Ali Alwaleed Al-Thani, CEO, IPA Qatar and Santiago Bañales López, Managing Director, Iberdrola Innovation Middle East. It was done so in the presence of H.E. Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Qassim Al Abdullah Al-Thani, Minister of Commerce and Industry and Chairman of IPA Qatar; and José Ignacio S. Galán, Chairman and CEO, Iberdrola Group.
In the announcement, Sheikh Ali Alwaleed Al-Thani, CEO, IPA Qatar, stated: “We are delighted to be working with Iberdrola towards realising our shared vision for Qatar’s digital transformation and the establishment of an innovative, knowledge-based economy.
“We expect the outcome of our collaboration to help power local and international enterprises’ growth ambitions in Qatar and the region, while building on the tech hub’s previous achievements and elevating Qatar’s RDI ecosystem to the next level.”
Ignacio S. Galán, Chairman and CEO, Iberdrola Group, added: “For more than 100 years, innovation has been the main tool to guarantee the sustainability, efficiency and competitivity of Iberdrola. The agreement signed today will further help to channel Iberdrola’s experience on innovation in the region and further reinforce the company’s commitment with Qatar.”
The partnership announcement comes in as the country makes numerous strides in an effort to bolster its RDI.
One of the latest was the launch of the Qatar Research, Development, Innovation Strategy 2030 (QRDI 2030), which outlines a roadmap toward boosting the country’s innovation capabilities.
