The Public Establishment for Industrial Estates – Madayn and its investment arm Shumookh Investment and Services signed a cooperation agreement with Advanced Universal Tech LLC to establish Oman Nano City in Sur Industrial City. The project aims at implementing, developing, and managing a project that promotes nanotechnology in the Sultanate as well as attracting industries and investments and providing support to investors through regional and international competitive strategies. Oman Nano City project aspires eventually to diversify income sources, attract foreign investment, create new jobs, and support innovation and entrepreneurship community.
The agreement was signed by Hilal bin Hamad Al Hasani, CEO of Madayn, Eng. Musallam bin Juma’a Al Hudaifi, CEO of Shumookh Investment and Services, and Eng. Qasim bin Habib Al Lawati, partner and founder of Advanced Universal Tech. Al Hasani emphasised that this agreement aims at establishing an incubator for nanotechnology in the Sultanate supported with high-quality infrastructure and excellent services through forming teams of experts and providing continued support for the project. “Oman Nano City will contribute to developing the manufacturing sector, creating links between industries, universities, colleges, schools and research institutions, and providing on job training opportunities,” Al Hasani pointed out.
Oman Nano City also aims at supporting innovation in the Sultanate through transforming laboratory research into new products, as innovations give manufacturers the performance or cost edge they need to compete in the international marketplace, which will consequently allow achieving Madayn’s objectives in introducing advanced technologies, equipping the workforce with necessary technical skills to boost productivity, and creating new job opportunities for the national cadres.
On his part, Eng. Qasim Al Lawati stated that Oman Nano City aims at contributing to the sustainability and support of the national economy, as the project comes in line with Oman Vision 2040. “Oman Nano City will be built on a total area of (1) square kilometer to act as an incubator for innovations and industries related to nanotechnology. The project will be equipped with the main administration centre in addition to various public facilities such as a hotel, cultural centre, business centre, banks, shopping centres, clinics, logistics services, and a residential area equipped with quality services for the workforce based in factories,” Al Lawati said, adding: “Oman Nano City will be designed to comprise 11 sectors and feature teams that represent bodies from the business sectors, high education and research fields, and industrialists in the field of nanotechnologies from developed countries in order to benefit from the expertise in this field.”
Eng. Musallam Al Hudaifi commented that the vision of this project is to contribute in making Oman an integrated centre of excellence in innovation, research, education and entrepreneurship of Nano based technology. “Oman Nano City project will play a role in presenting opportunities to develop and export nanotechnology products and services to the MENA region by inking cooperation and affiliation pacts with leading agencies and industries specialised in nanotechnology,” Al Hudaifi said.
The project is expected to attract international investors to set up industrial projects in various fields such as building and construction, water and environment, health care, medicine, cosmetics, automotive and industrial parts, equipment and services, textile and clothes, polymer, chemical and raw materials.
