An index for tech readiness: UAE

A new Smart Industry Readiness Index (SIRI) will identify industrial players’ technology expertise and support the adoption of advanced technologies and Fourth Industrial Revolution applications, ensuring high-quality products and services as well as sustainable and secure supply chains. The index was adopted by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) as part of the ‘Projects of the 50’.

SIRI is a concrete indicator of technological capability, and will serve to further the goals of the UAE’s National In-Country Value (ICV) program. The program has ensured the successful registration of local suppliers, underscoring the government’s decision to prioritise procurement procedures and diversify the UAE’s economy.

Sarah bint Yousif Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Technology, said: “We are proud today to announce the adoption of the Smart Industry Readiness Index, which was adopted by the World Economic Forum as a global standard for unifying 4IR concepts. We are also pleased to announce the completion of the first phase of the program that consisted of 104 companies.”

The Smart Industry Readiness Index will help companies understand their current digital maturity, providing them with high-level recommendations so they can take the next step on their digitalisation journey as well as contribute to increasing their awareness of 4IR applications. In the long run, the index will drive the UAE’s manufacturing sector to consider the efficiency and productivity benefits of adopting industry 4.0 solutions.

Under the ambit of ‘Projects of the 50’, the Smart Industry Readiness Index has been adopted as a key cornerstone of ‘UAE Industry 4.0’, the Fourth Industrial Revolution program, to accelerate the integration of advanced technologies in the industrial sector. It is hoped that by the end of the first half of 2022, the ministry will have evaluated 200 industrial companies.

Minister Al Amiri added: “The information and data collected will contribute to understanding the path towards Industry 4.0, along with identifying the necessary programs that will circumvent challenges, alleviate risk and provide the right incentives for technology adoption. We understand the challenges that are associated with adopting technology, and we are working closely with the key industrial players to ensure that the ecosystem enables technological advancements.”

The National ICV program assists in cultivating the UAE as an optimum environment for the development and adoption of advanced technologies. It also supports the objectives to raise industrial productivity by 30 per cent and add about Dh25 billion to the national economy over the next decade.