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RDI paradigm shifts: how governments can adapt

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Round table diversity meeting

GCC governments are placing Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) at the heart of national strategy. According to a new report from Boston Consulting Group and Dubai Future Foundation with the World Governments Summit, six RDI paradigm shifts now define the field. The message is clear: adapt policy and engagement, or risk falling behind.

The six RDI paradigm shifts, in plain language

1) Disciplines are blending. Borders between fields are dissolving. Biology meets materials science; data science powers food tech; wearables turn into nutrient-delivering “smart” textiles. Consequently, governments should fund cross-disciplinary teams, not single-track silos. Interdisciplinary grants, co-supervised PhDs, and national priorities that cross ministries all help.

2) AI + big data need safe “playgrounds.” AI accelerates discovery, from virtual experiments to predictive models. Big data multiplies that effect. However, questions around ownership, consent, and privacy demand guardrails. Therefore, create regulatory sandboxes. In these supervised spaces, researchers and startups can test new methods while regulators stress-test policy.

3) Synthetic intelligence is here. Human expertise now pairs with machine computation. This “synthetic talent” changes methods and speed. Accordingly, education policy must add AI literacy across STEM and beyond. Moreover, public funding should back tools that keep sensitive computation local when possible, balancing capability with control.

4) Lab-to-market must move faster—without skipping basics. Pandemic-era vaccine timelines showed what is possible when mature science meets focused translation. Even so, breakthrough speed relied on decades of fundamental research. Hence, governments should provide patient capital for early-stage work and then unlock private funding as projects mature. This cadence protects depth while rewarding delivery.

5) Impact means more than the “impact factor.” Citations matter, yet they miss real-world value. Updated scorecards should include reproducibility, adoption, jobs created, and societal benefit. Additionally, expert panels can complement metrics. When reviewers celebrate learning, not just outcomes, labs take bold shots and share negative results that move fields forward.

6) Access is widening—and narrowing. Cheap tools and open methods democratize discovery. Meanwhile, compute-heavy AI stacks concentrate power. To keep the door open, governments can fund national computing, bridge academy-industry gaps, and build open data repositories. In parallel, incentives for private knowledge-sharing will broaden participation.

Voices from the ecosystem

Khalifa AL Qama of Dubai Future Labs
Khalifa AL Qama of Dubai Future Labs
Maya El Hachem of BCG
Maya El Hachem of BCG

Leaders across Dubai echo the urgency. Maya ElHachem of BCG underscores how AI and big data double research productivity and compress timelines in areas like drug development. Khalifa AlQama of Dubai Future Labs stresses talent, patient capital, and pro-innovation environments. Similarly, BCG’s Anna Flynn points to a future shaped by “synthetic talent,” where students treat AI as a research partner, not just a subject.

Anna Flynn BCG
Anna Flynn BCG

What can governments do next?

Set cross-cutting priorities. Pick missions that require collaboration—food security, resilient health, and sustainable industry. Then align budgets, grants, and procurement around those missions.

Fund the full pipeline. Back curiosity-driven research; support validation; scale pilots through sandboxes; use demand-side tools like challenge prizes and advance market commitments.

Equip the workforce. Update curricula with AI, data governance, and reproducibility. Additionally, reward faculty who co-create with industry while keeping open-science principles.

Invest in shared infrastructure. Provide secure compute, trusted data spaces, and testbeds for cities, factories, and logistics. Consequently, startups and labs build faster with lower cost.

Measure what matters. Report on translation speed, startup formation, public-private projects, and social impact. Publish the lessons. Improve the scorecard each year.

Dubai’s momentum

Dubai has already moved. The Dubai Research, Development, and Innovation Program advances a knowledge-based economy through grants, sandboxes, and targeted fields such as health, cognitive cities, AI, and robotics. As these programs scale, more founders and labs will find a predictable path from idea to impact.

Bottom line

The world’s innovation map is shifting. Governments that embrace these RDI paradigm shifts—and act with focus—will build ecosystems that prove resilient, ethical, and fast. With clear missions, practical sandboxes, AI-ready talent, and fair access to tools, the region can turn research into lasting value for society and the economy.

Check out our previous post Hybrid mesh firewall: Check Point named a Leader

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Ramco Systems Celebrates 20 Years in the Middle East, Unveils Vision for the Future at Milestone Event

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Doubles down on AI-native applications and localized innovation to shape enterprise technology in the region


Ramco Systems, aglobal enterprise software company offering next-generation SaaS-enabled platforms and products, celebrated two decades of powering enterprise transformation in the Middle East. To mark this milestone, Ramco hosted Ramco@20 – Experience That Matters, a full-day event in Dubai designed to showcase its regional journey, highlight cutting-edge innovations, and bring customers and industry leaders together for forward-looking discussions.

The first half of Ramco@20 convened senior HR and payroll leaders from across the region for a thought leadership forum on the future of employee experience. Industry leaders discussed how enterprises in the Middle East are moving beyond traditional HR process optimization toward more intelligent, intuitive, and employee-centric models of workforce management. Conversations explored balancing automation with empathy, using AI thoughtfully, and elevating payroll as a trust-building touchpoint.

The second half welcomed a large gathering of customers across business units – Global Payroll, Aviation MRO, ERP, Services Resource Planning and Logistics – along with partners, and industry influencers, for a celebration honouring the relationships that have defined Ramco’s two-decade journey. Ramco’s leadership unveiled its technology vision: shifting from Systems of Record to Systems of Intelligence through AI-native applications, agentic workflows, and conversational UX. The leadership’s address also emphasized its investments in platform modernization and localized initiatives, while outlining a roadmap to further strengthen Ramco’s focus for the next 20 years.

Abinav Raja, Managing Director, Ramco Systems, said, “The Middle East has been a cornerstone of Ramco’s growth story for two decades and has shaped our thinking in profound ways. The region’s appetite for transformation has inspired us to design solutions that combine global best practices with local relevance. This milestone is built on the trust and partnership of our customers, and our commitment is clear: double down on AI-native, API-first applications that incorporate special features aligned with the region, platform modernization, and customer-centricity. We are shaping the future of enterprise technology with solutions enabling businesses to focus on what truly matters: growth and people.”

Sandesh Bilagi, Chief Operating Officer, Ramco Systems, said, “Our presence in the Middle East has been built on strong partnerships and a commitment to delivering outcomes. This region is not merely a market for us, but also a proving ground for ideas that redefine global enterprise technology.  The presence of all our business units in this region makes the Middle East a key pillar and reflects the confidence our customers have placed in us for twenty years.“

“Our investments in agentic AI, conversational UX, and platform innovation are designed to deliver enterprise applications that are intuitive, secure, scalable and integrate regional nuances,” Bilagi added. “We also focus on customer-focused initiatives like local deployment and training because every digital journey is, at its core, a human journey. The region is setting global benchmarks, and we are proud partners of the next era of enterprise innovation.”

Over the past two decades, Ramco has partnered with leading enterprises across the region, enabling digital transformation through innovative solutions. Its work in the Middle East has been shaped by sectors and functions that demand precision at scale – payroll, aviation, manufacturing, conglomerates, trading, infrastructure, professional services and logistics – giving Ramco an execution depth that continues to define its competitiveness in the region.

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Vertiv and Caterpillar announce Energy Optimization Collaboration to Expand End-to-End Power and Cooling Offerings for AI Data Centers

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Vertiv, a global leader in critical digital infrastructure, and Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT), a global leader in power systems, today announced the signing of a strategic undertaking to collaborate on advanced energy optimization solutions for data centers. This initiative will integrate Vertiv’s power distribution and cooling portfolio with Caterpillar’s, and its subsidiary Solar Turbines’, product and expertise in power generation and CCHP (Combined Cooling, Heat and Power) to deliver pre-designed architectures that simplify deployment, accelerate time-to-power and optimize performance for data center operations.

A Powerful Collaboration:

This collaboration directly addresses the growing demand for on-site energy solutions that deliver reliable power and cooling. Together, the companies are able to offer a fully integrated solution with validated interfaces and performance, enabling customers to accelerate design, installation and deployment.

  • Caterpillar and Solar Turbines will supply power generation solutions, such as natural gas turbines and reciprocating engines, to deliver dependable, scalable electric power and thermal energy for CCHP.
  • Vertiv will provide a complete portfolio of power and cooling solutions and services, packaged as modular, pre-designed blocks, to shorten design cycles and standardize deployment.

The Customer Advantages:

  • Accelerates Time-to-Power – by utilizing predesigned, modular reference architectures to speed up deployment time.
  • Lowers PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) – enables improved energy efficiency and carbon footprint because the system is optimized end-to-end: power, cooling, distribution and dynamic load management, compared to traditional design.
  • Global lifecycle support – the offering is backed by the trusted, global service and support networks of both Vertiv and Caterpillar.

“This collaboration with Caterpillar and Solar Turbines is a cornerstone of our Bring Your Own Power & Cooling (BYOP&C) strategy and aligns seamlessly with our grid-to-chip framework by offering resilient, on-site power generation solutions. This is optimal for customers looking to reduce or eliminate grid dependence,” said Gio Albertazzi, CEO, at Vertiv. “By combining our complementary technologies, portfolios and expertise, we are enabling coordinated integration. Our pre-engineered, interoperability-tested building blocks let customers execute design, build and deploy concurrently, with predictable system performance.”

“As AI-driven workloads continue to accelerate, the demand for robust and scalable power infrastructure and cooling is becoming increasingly critical,” said Jason Kaiser, group president of Caterpillar Power & Energy. “Our collaboration with Vertiv will enable us to deliver integrated, on-site energy solutions that lower PUE and meet customers’ evolving needs.”

This initiative directly addresses the growing demand for on-site energy solutions and offers a coordinated, customer-first approach to solution design and implementation. The Vertiv and Caterpillar Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) represents a pivotal step in further refining this ecosystem, enabling customers to overcome energy constraints and deploy optimized AI centers.

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ASUS Presents “Design You Can Feel” at Dubai Design Week — A Multi-Sensory Journey Through Craftsmanship, AI, and the Future of Laptop Design

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ASUS Presents “Design You Can Feel”

ASUS has opened the doors to its most immersive exhibition yet, Design You Can Feel, at Dubai Design Week 2025 — where emotion, functionality, and innovation collide to shape the future of personal technology. Featuring the exclusive Zenbook Ceraluminum™ Signature Edition and the world’s lightest Copilot+ PC, the Zenbook A14, the showcase invites visitors to experience how ASUS is transforming everyday devices into objects of desire — built to be felt, owned, and adored.

Held at Atrium Building 5 in Dubai Design District (d3), the interactive exhibit replaces the traditional tech display with a sensory journey — spotlighting not just what ASUS builds, but how it makes people feel. It is a rare chance for consumers to get up close, try the devices, and even purchase them at exclusive Design Week prices.

“Zenbook has always been about design that connects emotionally. With the Copilot+ PC lineup, we’ve reached a new era — one where your device responds to you, understands you, and becomes a seamless part of your creative and personal life,” said Coraline Lin, Marketing Director of, ASUS.

WHAT VISITORS EXPERIENCED INSIDE “DESIGN YOU CAN FEEL”
Zenbook Ceraluminum™ Signature Edition

The centerpiece of the exhibit, crafted from ASUS’s proprietary Ceraluminum™ — a material that blends the durability of ceramics with the weightlessness of aluminum. Available in four finishes inspired by nature, this ultra-premium collectible edition laptop was built to redefine what luxury tech feels like. The tactile experience is unforgettable — and so is the fact that visitors can purchase it on-site.

Visitors can also explore the AL-FORM Furniture Range — a collection of sculptural chairs that explore the materiality of Ceraluminum™. One chair in the collection is made entirely from Ceraluminum™ — and visitors are encouraged to touch, guess, and interact. It’s design that tells a story — and acts as the perfect lead-in to a purchase moment.

To complement the experience, a bespoke Ceraluminum™ Bukhoor burner adds a UAE-inspired sensory layer to the space — signaling ASUS’s deep respect for local culture while showcasing just how far the material can go.

 INTERACTIVE HIGHLIGHTS

“Thincredible Table”

A hands-on disassembly experience where visitors can explore what makes ASUS laptops ultra-thin, ultra-durable, and ultra-desirable — from board design to external finishes. The more visitors understand what’s inside, the more they’ll want to own one.

SUSA by Future Facility

A conceptual piece redefining device interaction — made from oxidized Ceraluminum™ and powered by AI. It challenges everything we know — and want — from modern devices.

Tech-Art Installation by Dr. Ahmad AlAttar

A brainchild of Emirati roboticist and artist Dr. AlAttar, this immersive artwork transforms touch into sound — a symbolic bridge between human emotion and machine response. It embodies ASUS’s message: the future of tech is alive, reactive, and emotional.

EXCLUSIVE DESIGN WEEK OFFERS — AVAILABLE ON-SITE AND ONLINE

For the first time ever, ASUS is uniting a design exhibition with a purchase campaign. Visitors can shop exclusive deals of up to AED 2,000 off on select Zenbook and ProArt laptops — both in-person and through the ASUS eShop.

Featured devices include:

  • Zenbook S16 (UM5606) – 16” Copilot+ powerhouse
  • Zenbook DUO (UX8406CA) – Dual-screen innovation
  • Zenbook A14 (UX3407) – The world’s lightest Copilot+ PC
  • ProArt P16 (H7606) – Creator-grade performance
  • ProArt PZ13 (HT5306) – Versatile 2-in-1 detachable
  • ProArt PX13 (HN7306) – Convertible creator experience

Whether you’re a creative professional, a student, or a tech enthusiast — this is the moment to own the most advanced ASUS laptop at the best price of the year.

Visit ASUS at Atrium 5, d3 — feel the design, fall in love, and take it home.

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