Abu Dhabi-UAE: 20 February, 2012: The Emirates Foundation and Siemens LLC, the local affiliate of the global powerhouse in electronics and electrical engineering, have concluded a cooperation agreement aimed to support science education throughout the UAE.
The agreement was signed yesterday at the Foundation's headquarters in Abu Dhabi in the presence of Clare Woodcraft, CEO of the Emirates Foundation, and Joachim Kundt, CEO of Siemens UAE.
As per the agreement, Siemens will provide support for the upcoming Emirates Foundation's project 'Emirates Science Fair Competition' that will be hosted in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Education Council. Representatives from the company will also participate on the committee to assess students' projects in the upcoming round of the science fair. The project is tailored to challenge talented Emirati youth students and stimulate their potential to innovate and design models of community-supporting technologies.
"Signing this agreement is consistent with the Foundation's efforts to develop mechanisms of joint cooperation between the public and private sectors in the country to support the research and scientific development. This is in accordance with the ambitious vision of the Abu Dhabi Education Council aimed at raising the volume of expenditure on this vital sector to reach AED4.9 billion by 2018, which equals 0.75% of the GDP of the emirate of Abu Dhabi," said Clare Woodcraft, CEO of the Emirates Foundation.
She added that the project seeks to support talented students and develop their skills and capabilities, explore their potential and stimulate them to work as teams in science competitions and local or regional exhibitions. It is also tailored to get private organizations involved in next generation development programs, promoting the major skill sets needed to build future projects with societal benefit as well as encourage their choice of future careers in science, technology and environment.
"This project is especially important as it is designed to build Emirati youth's scientific competences and, most importantly, establish a knowledge-base that will help develop and support the future of science and technology throughout the UAE," she added.
The Foundation intends to invite UAE high schools to compete in what is now the third round for this project, which will take place during the 2012/2013 academic year.
Woodcraft expressed her thanks and appreciation to Siemens for its role in supporting this project, emphasizing the Foundation's long-term strategy to build partnerships with the private sector in a way that will help promote the development of young people in UAE.
Joachim Kundt, CEO of Siemens UAE, noted the social and scientific value of this project which motivated the company to enter into this partnership with the Emirates Foundation, and said: "Siemens is strongly committed to encouraging science and technology education for our next generations. As a company of advanced technologies, we strongly believe in the importance of sharing our knowledge. But more important is the need to be able to grow innovation and expertise from within a culture. We cannot do this without a strong base of sciences in our future workforce."
Emirates Foundation has organized two previous science fairs. The first one was in 2010, and the second in the 2011 academic year involving 550 students from 53 schools in Abu Dhabi. During the two exhibitions, 200 science projects were on display and ten of them were qualified to compete at the 2nd Annual Intel Science Competition - Arab World 2011. Three of the participating projects were recognized among the best projects and the winning students were awarded scholarships at the University of Sharjah.
Additionally, eleven of the second round's projects were invited to be exhibited at the 2012 edition of the World Future Energy Summit (WFES), held at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center during January 16-19. The participation was a valuable opportunity for 18 students to present their energy-related projects to world leaders, policy makers and academics gathered to address challenges facing development of sustainable energy efficiency.
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About the Emirates Foundation for Philanthropy:
The Emirates Foundation is one of the UAE's foremost philanthropic organisations. It offers financial and technical support to projects that enrich the lives of people in the Emirates, particularly in the area of youth development.
The Foundation facilitates links between commercial businesses and the public sector to devise new projects and strengthen existing nonprofit initiatives throughout the country. Its funding comes from programme-rated contributions and a capital reserve supported by the Abu Dhabi government and private companies.
Launched on April 12, 2005 by H.H Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, its Board of Directors is chaired by Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs
About Siemens
Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global powerhouse in electronics and electrical engineering, operating in the fields of industry, energy and healthcare as well as providing infrastructure solutions, primarily for cities and metropolitan areas. For over 160 years, Siemens has stood for technological excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality. The company is the world's largest provider of environmental technologies. Around 40 percent of its total revenue stems from green products and solutions. In fiscal 2011, which ended on September 30, 2011, revenue from continuing operations totaled €73.5 billion and income from continuing operations €7.0 billion. At the end of September 2011, Siemens had around 360,000 employees worldwide on the basis of continuing operations. Further information is available on the Internet at: www.siemens.com.
For further information please contact:
Emirates Foundation
Doha Al Hamad
Tel: +971 2 4042813
Email: dalhamad@emiratesfoundation.ae
Siemens
Ahmed Dahduli
Tel: +971-4-366-0981
Email: ahmed.dahduli@siemens.com
© Press Release 2012
