The State of Qatar has signed a collaboration agreement with the World Economic Forum (WEF) to establish a Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) in the country.
The centre, named C4IR Qatar, will be inaugurated in June 2024. It will be set up as an autonomous nonprofit organisation, leading on policy and governance for emerging technologies.
The primary focus of the centre will be sustainable development and economic competitiveness, in line with Qatar’s national priorities and Vision 2030, officials said.
The centre is the third of its kind to be created in the Arab world and is set to become a hub of expertise to co-design and pilot future-focused policy frameworks that enable the development and deployment of technology regionally and globally.
“Over the past decade, Qatar has cemented its position as a global financial and innovation hub and the centre will further solidify the State’s economic competitiveness, by developing ground-breaking policy and frontier technology applications for the advancement of sustainable development locally, regionally and globally,” said HE Minister of Finance Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari.
“At a time of global fragmentation, innovation and technology promise to propel our shared priorities of sustainable development, cooperation and resilience, which have long been a key priority for Qatar’s leadership,” said Borge Brende, President of the World Economic Forum.
“The new centre in Doha joins a growing network and platform, serving as a focal point for advancing innovation and unlocking growth opportunities in the region and beyond.”
The centre will be formed and hosted by the Ministry of Finance, the leading governmental authority overseeing Qatar’s economic and fiscal policies, in collaboration with other national stakeholders from the public and private sectors.
The first C4IR was launched in San Francisco in 2017, and the network now includes centres in Japan, India, Brazil, Germany, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, among other countries.
