The Qatar Mobility Innovations Center (QMIC) and the Gulf Organization for Research & Development (GORD) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27), taking place in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt to collaborate on the development and delivery of Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled smart solutions targeting the energy and environment markets. The agreement was signed by Dr. Adnan Abu-Dayya, Founding Executive Director (CEO) of QMIC, and Dr. Yousef Alhorr, GORD’s Founding Chairman in attendance of several stakeholder representatives and media.

Given GORD’s focus on developing innovative technologies and solutions addressing sustainability, environmental and energy challenges, and QMIC’s focus on developing IoT and Artificial Intelligence-based platforms and enabling technologies, the parties will combine their complementary domain expertise and technology knowledge to deliver innovative, data-centric, and smart solutions to serve the needs of the energy and environment sectors.

Dr. Yousef Alhorr, Founding Chairman of GORD, commented “IoT is undoubtedly among the key enablers of digital transformation but at the same time, it can also catalyze our transition to a sustainable future. AI and machine learning can dramatically accelerate resource efficiency of devices and applications through data-driven insights and automation. Through our MoU with QMIC, we wish to leverage the IoT and sustainability expertise of the partnering entities to optimize green innovations like Synergia7n1. Together, we look forward to developing intelligent systems that are smart and sustainable by intention, design and application.”

Dr. Adnan Abu-Dayya, Founding Executive Director (CEO) of QMIC, commented “QMIC & GORD share a common goal of using local R&D and innovations to deliver scalable solutions that can solve real market problems. As the first pure-play IoT enterprise in the region, we have gained extensive knowledge over the years through building and deploying large-scale IoT solutions focusing on intelligent mobility and smart cities. We are very excited to partner with GORD to utilize our complementary knowledge and expertise to deliver smart solutions and services that tackle energy and environment challenges.”

As a first step in executing the partnership agreement, the parties will launch a pilot project for integrating QMIC’s Industrial Labeeb^e IoT Platform and Edge Gateway with GORD’s Innovative Smart Cooling Solution (Synergia7n1) where data from hundreds of sensors will be collected, processed and managed in real time. This will provide a very rich centralized dashboard and data analytics framework that can be used by different stakeholders to optimize system performance and monitor operations. In addition, a digital twin of the physical smart cooling system will be created to provide a seamless monitoring and data visualization experience.

Synergia7n1 – a hybrid ultra-efficient cooling system aiming to provide environmentally friendly air conditioning solutions for indoor and outdoor spaces. It was patented by the UK Patent Registry Office and registered with the International Patent Organization (WIPO). By consolidating seven distinct solutions, Synergia provides an eco-friendly alternative to conventional fresh air-conditioning units for indoor and outdoor spaces within projects of all sizes. It can save up to 50% of energy consumption compared to the conventional compressor-based fresh air-handling units.

As two of the pioneering national entities in their fields, this MoU emphasizes the role of GORD and QMIC in promoting and enabling sustainable practices and technologies for partners in and outside Qatar, through combining their innovative smart products, services, and solutions to fulfill nation-wide strategic goals towards facilitating sustainability. The integration of QMIC’s IoT Industrial Platform & Gateway, into GORD’s Smart Cooling System will help it achieve its full potential by providing maximum value for its wide variety of users, and in turn, benefiting the local environment by delivering a smart cooling system, which is highly efficient but low in emissions and power usage as well.

As two leading entities operating from Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP), this “IoT-Enabled Smart Cooling System” project is just a start of what both entities hope to be a long-term mutually beneficial partnership which can capitalize on the strengths and successes of both QMIC and GORD.