On Wednesday 15 September 2021, the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng MP, was joined by His Excellency Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Emirati Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, to sign a bilateral Memorandum of Cooperation on Industrial and Advanced Technologies Collaboration.

The Memorandum seeks to enable greater collaboration between the UK and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on a broad range of shared priorities, including the development of our life sciences, space, hydrogen, and wider industrial sectors, including supply chain resilience, regulations and standards. The Memorandum will be delivered through government-to-government cooperation, as well as business and academic engagement, and promises to provide tangible outcomes for both countries. Engagement across these sectors will be further enhanced through the investment opportunities agreed in the Sovereign Investment Partnership.

The signing took place during the Secretary of State and His Excellency Dr Al Jaber’s first in-person meeting, as part of a wider Guest of Government visit to London by His Highness the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed. The Crown Prince met with the Prime Minister on 16 September. During this visit, the leaders jointly announced the new and ambitious UK-UAE Partnership for the Future, which will be strengthened by this Memorandum of Cooperation.

Speaking following the singing, UK Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said:

I was delighted to join His Excellency Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber in signing this important Memorandum, ensuring a close working relationship between the UK and UAE as both countries accelerate progress in research and development, better regulation and the transition to a greener planet.