MoIAT and EDGE launch Pioneers 4.0 hackathon series
The hackathon is aimed at advancing Industry 4.0 development and enabling the next generation of STEM talent.
The UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) and EDGE group completed the Pioneer 4.0 Hackathon series, which was a part of initiatives to accelerate digital transformation. It comes right after a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by the two parties in August to expand the offerings of EDGE’s Learning and Innovation Factory to the UAE’s industrial ecosystem and to collaborate on the establishment of an Industry 4.0 Enablement Centre.
According to a statement on Zawya, the Pioneers 4.0 Hackathon series will host two challenges every year. Each challenge will have a unique problem statement that addresses industry pain points to encourage digital transformation and operational excellence in various factory setups.
The inaugural challenge of Pioneers 4.0 was hosted in partnership with Microsoft from November 21 and 22, at the EDGE Learning and Innovation Factory in Abu Dhabi. It enabled 15 students from some of the UAE’s leading universities, including the American University of Sharjah, Higher College of Technology, Khalifa University, Mohammed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), New York University Abu Dhabi, Zayed University and the University of Manchester, to collaborate in teams.
The problem statement was to develop an innovative solution using AI and ML to enhance predictive maintenance. On the second day, November 22, participating students pitched their solution to a jury of subject matter experts from MoIAT, EDGE, and Microsoft.
Zhaksylyk Kazykenov, Aidana Nurakhmetova, and Samar Fares from MBZUAI, and Shaikha Al Athmani from the University of Manchester, bagged the first prize in the challenge. The Pioneers 4.0 Hackathon is aligned with the UAE’s Industry 4.0 programme (I4.0), which aims to promote the adoption of advanced technologies.
“This hackathon is a prime example of how leading national companies can work together with global corporations—and academic institutions—using the UAE’s industrial ecosystem as a platform to support not only one another’s objectives but also the upskilling of national talent,” said Tariq Al Hashmi, Head of Technology Development and Adoption at MoIAT.
Edited by Akanksha Sarma
