The UK’s Transport Systems Catapult (TSC) has signed a partnership agreement with Dubai-based innovation and IT infrastructure company Texpo, with the aim of exporting British expertise to help drive transport innovation in Dubai and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
The TSC and Texpo are exploring the Dubai Government’s current and future requirements and challenges around hosting mega events such as the World Expo 2020, and achieving their ‘2030 Mobility’ strategy. The new partners will seek to forge collaborations between Dubai and UK-based SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) and academic institutions with expertise in areas such as Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs), Virtual Reality (VR) testing, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and integrated business models. The TSC will also be offering guidance on best practice in managing large transport networks through the association with Texpo.
From its base in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Texpo has created a high profile governmental and public-sector client portfolio across the Middle East, and Central and South Asia. The company provides end-to-end IT infrastructure services for large-scale telecommunication networks, design and development of Satcom systems, design and build of major data centers, and complex IT application services to governments for citizen-centric portals. Recent projects include the implementation of systems at the Dubai Roads and Transportation Authority’s (RTA) Data Center.
“Dubai fearlessly embraces the future and has the ambition to dream-up and realize projects that elsewhere would never get off the ground,” noted TSC’s business innovation director, Dr Yolande Herbath, who recently led a UK delegation to Dubai. “The city is currently embarking on many grand projects for the World Expo in 2020 and setting ambitious targets for mobility in 2030. We believe the UK, with its long history of transport and mobility systems innovation and large ecosystem of innovative and ambitious SMEs, has much to offer. Along with Texpo, we will be looking to forge strong connections between UK businesses, UK academia and Dubai, to help them achieve their vision of a world class transport system.”
Texpo’s president and CEO, Sarfaraz Alam, commented, “We feel immense pride in witnessing the mega success and growth of Dubai over last decade, especially our involvement in delivering many flagship projects in the region, and enhancing the overall IT infrastructure and services of various Government departments within Dubai. Each and every project delivered are of special nature and value. Signing this agreement with the Transport Systems Catapult is yet another example of Texpo bringing the most advanced innovations by various UK companies to our region, to benefit our Government within the UAE. This will also help achieve the Dubai’s vision of 2030 for smarter cities and creating the most advance regional hub, as outlined by His Highness Sheikh Muhammad Bin Rashid Al Makhtoum, Vice President of UAE and Ruler of Dubai.”
