Dubai Links with London Tech

London Technology Week runs from 15-21 June at Shard in London. Hundreds of international companies and tens of thousands of visitors will come to London to take part in more than 200 events organised as part of London Technology Week….reports Asian Lite News

Dr Mohammed Alzarooni, the Vice Chairman and CEO of Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA), with Gordon Innes, Chief Executive of London & Partners, the Mayor’s promotional company for London
Dr Mohammed Alzarooni, the Vice Chairman and CEO of Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA), with Gordon Innes, Chief Executive of London & Partners, the Mayor’s promotional company for London

Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), Dubai’s integrated free zone technology park, and the Mayor of London’s official promotional company, London & Partners, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to encourage the transfer of knowledge and technology between London and Dubai.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson MP said: “With our unrivalled mix of investors, talent and creativity tech businesses and entrepreneurs are clamouring to be part of the incredible London tech story. This sector has flourished beyond recognition in the last five years, creating thousands of jobs and outpacing the rest of the economy.”

Dr Mohammed Alzarooni, the Vice Chairman and CEO of Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA), signed the MoU at the launch of London Technology Week 2015 that will run from 15th to 21st June at the Shard in London, alongside the Chief Executive of London & Partners, Gordon Innes.

At the event new research was announced that shows London has cemented its position as the most important tech hub in Europe, with more international investment projects coming to London than Paris, Dublin, Madrid, Amsterdam and Munich combined.

The new data from professional services firm EY 2 shows London’s dominance of tech across Europe, and the city’s attractiveness as a tech hub. According to EY more than 1,000 international tech investment projects located in London between 2005–2014, significantly more than the next most attractive city, Paris (381) or the whole of both France (853) and Germany (720), which sit second and third place respectively in the ranking.

Shard in London
Shard in London

Commenting on this partnership, Dr. Mohammed Alzarooni, Vice Chairman and CEO of DSOA said: “Under the directives of our leadership, Dubai is reshaping its economy to emerge as a frontrunner in the hi-tech industry domain. DSOA plays an integral role in contributing to this vision. With its array of offerings for multinational technology companies and start-ups ranging from expert consultation services and financial support to a fully capable office space, DSOA has established itself as the place to be and operate from for a truly well-rounded experience and successful business”.

“We are proud to sign this mutually beneficial agreement between DSO and London to enable the exchange of information and experience among tech entrepreneurs from both bases. We look forward to collaborating and working hand in hand with the UK city and its entrepreneurs through exchanging information, knowledge and experience. We are confident that this partnership will help local entrepreneurs from each side expand their global footprint as well as their understanding of a second geographical technology market and its specific strengths, challenges and opportunities,” Dr. Alzarooni concluded.

Gordon Innes, Chief Executive of London & Partners, the Mayor’s promotional company for London said: “Dubai is an important partner for London and we are delighted to announce this collaboration with Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority at the start of London Technology Week. London is Europe’s most successful technology cluster, attracting more technology investment during the last decade than Paris, Dublin, Amsterdam, Madrid and Munich combined. The city attracts the best talent from around the world and this new partnership with Dubai’s free zone for tech businesses will see our entrepreneurs collaborating with the brightest minds from the Gulf. The agreement is testament to London’s visionary founders and investors who have made London the most exciting place in the world for digital technologies.”

Five years since the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson MP and the UK Prime Minister, David Cameron launched of the Tech City Initiative, London’s digital technology sector is growing faster than both the London and wider UK economy with tech growing at an average of 2.3% and the UK economy averaging 0.5%. New figures produced by Oxford Economics¹ show that the number of companies in London’s digital technology sector has grown by 46 per cent since the launch of the Tech City programme. The sector now employs almost 200,000 people, 17 per cent more than in 2010.

London Technology Week runs from 15-21 June. Hundreds of international companies and tens of thousands of visitors will come to London to take part in more than 200 events organised as part of London Technology Week. Featuring major global brands, including sponsors Bloomberg, Accenture, Stack Overflow and Goldman Sachs, as well as home-grown London-based tech companies such as Funding Circle and Blippar, London Technology Week will showcase the city’s role as the digital hub of Europe.