Tawazun Economic Council will present its vision for investing in defence research, technology and innovation during the International Defence Conference 2021 which accompanies IDEX and NAVDEX 2021.

The conference will be launched in Abu Dhabi on February 20, under the patronage of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE.

This edition of the conference is the first to be held after the International Defence Conference and Tawazun's Abu Dhabi International Offset Conference merged with the intention to form a comprehensive global conference that would combine the economic and defence and security sectors and cover issues related to knowledge transfer, technology and innovation, and      fourth industrial revolution technologies for the benefit of global security and peace.

Tareq Abdulraheem Al Hosani, CEO of Tawazun Economic Council will participate in the third session which discusses ways to enhance research and development in defence industries in light of the rapid changes and growing resilience of the defence industry.

Al Hosani and other speakers will discuss research and development capabilities in the defence sector and available future technologies, including artificial intelligence, and the civilian applications supported by such research.

In addition, Al Hosani will present the vision of Tawazun Economic Council of investing in R&D and innovation within the defence industry, parallel to investing in the commercial sector. He will discuss the main challenges in stimulating and developing this vital sector.

Matar Ali Al Romaithi, Chief Economic Development Officer of Tawazun Economic Council, said that this conference is a successful result of the efforts and cooperation between various parties with the aim of building a technological industrial base capable of developing advanced technology and localizing it to serve many different economic sectors. He stressed that Tawazun looks forward to benefiting from the outcomes of this conference, which hosts a group of experts and military specialists in developing areas within the defence industry.

Al Romaithi also highlighted Tawazun Economic Council's active role in supporting and enhancing research and development in the defence and security sector, achieving notable successes in transferring and adapting advanced technology to serve the needs and requirements of strategic partners.

Al Romaithi emphasized that Tawazun is supporting government efforts to position the UAE as a Fourth Industrial Revolution global hub and to build a competitive national economy based on technology and innovation, in line with the Ministry of Defence’s directions to consolidate national gains and meet future needs.

The conference includes four main sessions; the first session discusses ways to protect artificial intelligence and other Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies from misuse, while the second session focuses on supply chain disruptions in the defence sector.

The third session explores research and development in the defence sector. The final session examines the challenges arising from the use of modern digital technologies in cybersecurity, and the implications of those challenges on defence sector decisions. – TradeArabia News Service