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Hamdan bin Mohammed inaugurates RIT-Dubai’s New Campus at Dubai Silicon Oasis

DUBAI, 28th November, 2021 (WAM) — H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, today inaugurated the new campus of Rochester Institute of Technology – Dubai (RIT-Dubai) in Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), which spans 30,000 square meters and offers advanced specialisations that support the transformation of universities into free economic and creative zones.

Speaking on the occasion, H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed said that the future is in the hands of youth who possess deep knowledge of new technologies and the culture of innovation, which empowers them to advance development driven by knowledge, digital transformation, and creative excellence. Sheikh Hamdan emphasised that talented individuals specialised in programming, artificial intelligence applications, and advanced technologies play a key role in realising the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to build a better life for future generations.

"Universities are integrated economic and creative zones that support the sixth principle of the Principles of the 50 launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed. They are a hub for young talent to contribute to building a flexible and sustainable economy based on knowledge, innovation, and technology," H.H. added.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed also toured the Fakeeh University Hospital in DSO. The hospital’s administration briefed Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed on how they utilise medical research and experiences to develop a comprehensive healthcare landscape for the future. In turn, this cements DSO’s and Dubai’s position as a hub for knowledge and innovation.

The programmes offered by RIT-Dubai’s new campus at DSO will contribute to building a qualified talent pool in advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and fourth industrial revolution applications. Diverse technology courses offered by RIT-Dubai to students will help raise Dubai’s position as an academic destination for world-class higher education.

Sheikh Hamdan was accompanied on the tour by H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of DSO;Abdul Rahman bin Mohammad bin Nasser Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention; Dr. Mohammed Al Zarooni, Vice Chairman and CEO of DSO.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum emphasised that Dubai continues to develop its digital infrastructure and technology to support entrepreneurs, startups, and international companies, while also working to attract international universities and global innovation centres. He noted that DSO is contributing to these efforts as part of its role as a centre for knowledge and innovation in the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan that was launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to make Dubai the best city to live and work in.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said: "Developing talent competent in technology and digital economy applications enables us to take advantage of promising future opportunities, especially in new professional and learning paradigms based on digital solutions that use augmented, virtual and immersive reality technologies."

Dr. Mohammed Al Zarooni said that DSO’s objectives are aligned with the Principles of the 50, issued by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to transform Dubai into the city of the future. DSO seeks to actively contribute to transforming universities into free economic and creative zones and enhancing cooperation between universities and companies to promote innovation and development. Dr. Al Zarooni pointed out that the location of RIT-Dubai’s new campus gives students and researchers convenient access to several key technology and digital companies located in DSO’s Dubai Digital Park.

The new campus features a digital transformation and innovation lab with funds of up to AED3.7 million. The lab seeks to enable innovative students and youth in all fields to develop quality solutions for smart cities of the future.

Dr. Yousef Al Assaf said: "Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s inauguration of the new campus in Dubai Silicon Oasis encourages university staff and students to contribute to enhancing scientific and technological research in Dubai and the wider UAE and develop innovative solutions that can be used in business."

He added: "Universities play a key role in envisioning and designing emerging and promising trends in future societies and economies. Students and researchers give countries a competitive edge, especially in the fields of innovation, scientific and applied research. We look forward to RIT-Dubai playing this vital role by empowering younger generations from Dubai, the UAE and the MENA region with the academic knowledge and advanced research capabilities they need to lead various dynamic sectors in the future."

Dr. Mazen Fakeeh, President and Chairman of the Board of Fakeeh Care, said, "We are more than honoured to have been graced by the presence of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum at Fakeeh University Hospital. FUH is our flagship venture in the UAE and we have left no stone unturned to ensure every healthcare need of the UAEs population is met, with utmost care, state-of-the-art clinical expertise and the latest technology available in the region. With the vision of attaining new frontiers and enhancing the region’s healthcare offerings, we are proud of what we’ve achieved within a year of being operational. FUH brings more than four decades of Fakeeh Care legacy to the UAE; a legacy of quality healthcare and medical excellence. Going ahead, we seek to harness the power of innovation and personalized attention to provide the best possible patient outcomes through our technology-driven, patient-centric smart hospital."

The new RIT-Dubai campus offers programmes in advanced technology disciplines, artificial intelligence applications, big data and cybersecurity. The Campus located close to the innovation centres and advanced technology companies in Dubai Silicon Oasis spans 30,000 square meters and can accommodate up to 4,000 students in its advanced academic and laboratory facilities.

The Fakeeh University Hospital is a 350-bed smart facility that provides primary, secondary, and tertiary care through leading medical practitioners across 55 specialties. Equipped with cutting-edge technology, it can treat an estimated 700,000 patients a year, serving communities in the UAE and the wider region.

The hospital features innovative diagnostic technologies and advanced data-assisted and automated medication dispensing systems. This includes the state-of-the-art robotic pharmacy and FUH Care – the mobile app that provides patients easy access to the hospital. His Highness also visited the hospital’s emergency department – one of the largest in the emirate in the private sector, spread across 35,000 square feet, which is fully equipped with advanced operating theatres, radiology, and diagnostics.

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Region’s first-of-its-kind 3D printing facility for aviation parts opens in Dubai


Paradigm 3D opened the doors to its state-of-the-art $5.44 million (Dh20 million) 3D-printing facility in Dubai on Thursday — the first in the Middle East capable of producing parts in accordance with the aerospace-specific EASA Part 21G regulation.

Outfitted with industry-leading industrial 3D printers from NASDAQ-listed Stratasys Ltd., the facility will initially focus on producing parts for the region’s aviation industry.

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The 10,750 sq ft. factory in the Jebel Ali Industrial Area will initially have a production capacity of approximately 2,000 additively manufactured parts per year, with expectations to grow to around 20,000 per year over the next decade. Typical components produced at the facility will include aircraft interior components for seating, lavatories, electronic cooling ducts, environment control system ducting, wire guides, filter boxes, micro vanes, gaskets, component connectors, air intake manifolds and more.

As officials explined, the USP of the process at the facility is essentially the ease of use, reliability, repeatability — printing engineering grade thermoplastics with long intervals between maintenance and autonomous operations.

The event was notable for the presence of Scott Crump, Co-Founder of Stratasys, recognized globally as the godfather of 3D printing, a technology that is transforming industries worldwide. In fact, it is Crump's groundbreaking invention — Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) — that has become synonymous with 3D printing itself.

Paradigm 3D’s factory, in the Jebel Ali Industrial Area, will feature world-class industrial printers from Stratasys, establishing the UAE as a hub for fast-growing additive manufacturing segment. (Supplied)

Paradigm 3D’s factory, in the Jebel Ali Industrial Area, will feature world-class industrial printers from Stratasys, establishing the UAE as a hub for fast-growing additive manufacturing segment. (Supplied)

Across the world, leading aircraft and cabin interior product manufacturers including Boeing, Collins Aerospace, BAE Systems, Airbus, Diehl Aviation, Safran Seats, use additive manufacturing systems from Stratasys. “What makes Paradigm 3D’s facility unique is that it is the only 3D printing service provider in the Middle East that will be certified to produce 3D-printed parts for private and commercial aircraft,” said Stratasys EMEA President, Andreas Langfeld. “Having this capability in Dubai will reduce the lead time for replacement parts by weeks, possibly even months, helping airlines keep their planes in operation more predictably. This will not only reduce operational costs, particularly around logistics, but it will also reduce the environmental impact associated with transportation of these spare parts.”

Paradigm 3D has partnered with Stratasys’ long-time Dubai-based partner, The Design to Manufacturing Company (theD2Mco) and Latvia-based certified aerospace production company, AM Craft which holds an EASA Production Organization Approval (POA).

The industrial 3D printers at the new facility were installed by theD2Mco and they will be responsible for 24-7 uptime and support.

AM Craft will enable Paradigm 3D to become the first qualified manufacturing site outside the European Union under their certification and will support Paradigm 3D in achieving local production approval. This affords the company the ability to offer regional manufacturing capabilities to local airline operators.

“We are committed to collaborating with Paradigm 3D and Stratasys in supporting the UAE government’s vision for its manufacturing sector through initiatives such as Operation 300bn. The use of Stratasys 3D printers for primary production applications sets this facility apart from others in the region, and enables it to confidently serve the needs of customers in highly regulated industries such as aviation. We see clear potential for this new plant to serve not only the UAE market, but the entire region,” said Kyriakos Papantoniou, group executive director at theD2Mco.

Typical components produced at the Paradigm 3D facility include aircraft interior components for seating, electronic cooling ducts, environment control system ducting, wire guides, filter boxes, micro vanes, gaskets, component connectors, air intake manifolds and more. (Supplied)

Typical components produced at the Paradigm 3D facility include aircraft interior components for seating, electronic cooling ducts, environment control system ducting, wire guides, filter boxes, micro vanes, gaskets, component connectors, air intake manifolds and more. (Supplied)

“Airlines operate globally, and the Paradigm 3D facility will enable both regional and global aerospace companies to benefit from decentralized and on-demand manufacturing. We are aiding Paradigm 3D to enable them to become a one-stop-shop for designing, manufacturing and postprocessing certified aircraft components exactly when and where they are needed for immediate installation on aircraft which will be the state-of-the-art capability from the certification and technology perspective,” said Janis Jatnieks, CEO of AM Craft.

Following the anticipated success of the Jebel Ali manufacturing plant with airlines, Paradigm 3D intends to expand its focus into other industry verticals. “We see additive manufacturing as a core growth enabler for manufacturing in the region. The UAE’s appetite for innovation, and the government’s support for projects that leverage industrial 3D printing, means the country is perfectly positioned to be a hub for real digital manufacturing revolution,” Mohamed Juma, co-founder and owner of Paradigm 3D added. “Proving our abilities in the highly regulated aviation sector will serve to validate the numerous advantages of 3D printing. It will enable us to expand into parallel sectors, such as oil & gas and other industrial applications.”

Read more:

3D printing, digital warehousing: Transforming Gulf’s spare parts supply chain

Dar Al Arkan launches first 3D printed villa to support sustainable construction

Move to promote Dubai as a regional, global hub for 3D printing tech gathers momentum

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Supermarket franchisee Spinneys Dubai plans IPO in 2024 second quarter


Spinneys Dubai LLC, the franchisee of the supermarket chain in the United Arab Emirates and Oman, is planning an initial public offering of the business in the second quarter of 2024, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter said.
Albwardy Investment, the franchise’s 100 percent owner, hired Rothschild & Co to advise on the planned IPO, the sources said, requesting anonymity as the plans are not public.

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It invited banks this week to pitch for roles in the offering, expected to be up to 30 percent of the company, the sources added.
Spinneys, Albwardy, and Rothschild did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
The potential IPO of Spinneys Dubai, planned on the Dubai Financial Market, would add to the small but growing regional food retail sector.
Americana Restaurants, the Middle East and North Africa franchisee of fast food restaurants KFC and Pizza Hut, as well as a seller of frozen foods, debuted in a dual listing in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh in December.
Lulu Group, a hypermarket and mall operator, expects its IPO in the first half of 2024, its chairman said earlier this month, adding that it hired Moelis & Co to advise it, confirming an October 2022 Reuters report.
IPO activity in the Gulf is expected to pick up after the pace slowed from an exceptional 2022, when Saudi Arabia and the UAE led new listings, raising nearly $22 billion — more than half the total for the wider Europe, Middle East and Africa region, Dealogic data shows.
Middle Eastern companies still raised $5.3 billion in the first half of this year through 23 market debuts.
Spinneys Dubai operates more than 65 stores across the UAE, its website says. In addition, it operates at least seven stores in Oman, Albwardy’s website says.
Albwardy, which says it has annual turnover above $1 billion, also owns the franchise rights to upmarket British supermarket chain Waitrose.
Founded in the mid-1970s, it has a hospitality portfolio that includes several Four Seasons hotels and food distribution investments that include Nestle UAE.
Other sectors in Albwardy’s portfolio are industrial and engineering, commercial and insurance, agribusiness, and properties.

Read more:

Yusuff Ali-founded UAE grocer Lulu to raise $2.7 billion ahead of possible IPO

Saudi PIF agrees to buy 30 pct of Tamimi supermarket’s share capital

Dubai retailer GMG to operate French supermarket chain Géant in UAE

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Private lender Blue Owl plans to open Abu Dhabi Office in Middle East expansion


Private credit lender Blue Owl Capital Inc. is working to open an office and hire a team in Abu Dhabi focused on capital raising, a move to help strengthen its relationship with wealth fund Mubadala Investment Co., according to a person with knowledge of the matter.

The office has become a priority for Blue Owl as it expands its presence in the Middle East, said the person, who asked not to be identified as the details are private. The private credit lender recently secured a $1 billion investment commitment from the Abu Dhabi wealth fund.

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Representatives for Blue Owl and Mubadala declined to com-ment.

Blue Owl, which has about $150 billion under management, is one of the largest players in the private credit market. Some of its recent deals include a $2.65 billion debt package to support Francisco Partners and TPG Inc.’s acquisition of New Relic Inc. as well as a $2.7 billion financing to help fund BradyIFS’s acquisition of Envoy Solutions.

Blue Owl has also been formalizing plans to open an office and hire a team in nearby Dubai to tap into growing demand from Middle Eastern wealth funds in alternative assets. The firm plans to invest directly in the region once the new offices are established, the person said.

The Middle East offices will add to the nearly dozen locations around the globe where the firm already has a presence including Hong Kong, London, Singapore, and Tokyo.

Read more: Private lender Blue Owl eyes more Middle East money with plans for new Dubai office

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