Qatar Mobility Innovations Center and California Mobility Center Sign an MoU to Promote Global Commercialization of Mobility Technologies & Services
Doha, Qatar- March 21st, 2022:
The Qatar Mobility Innovations Center (QMIC), based in Doha, Qatar and the California Mobility Center (CMC), based in Sacramento, CA, USA, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on initiatives and activities for promoting the development and commercialization of advanced mobility technologies and services. This collaboration was facilitated by the Office of the Commercial Attaché, Embassy of the State of Qatar in Washington, DC, USA. The MoU was signed, during a virtual event, by Mr. Mark Rawson, CMC chief operating officer, and Dr. Adnan Abu Dayya, QMIC CEO & executive director in the presence of representatives from the Qatar Embassy in the United States.
The MoU was announced at a showcase event held to commemorate the CMC’s first anniversary at the CMC Ramp-up Factory in Sacramento on March 17th where CMC board chair Arlen Orchard revealed the new partnership in front of an audience of almost 400 industry leaders from around the globe, including early-stage company founders, C-level executives and governmental dignitaries. “The MoU with the Qatar Mobility Innovations Center is exciting for us because it offers enormous potential for cross-collaboration that can lead to a high-value partnership between two leading innovative institutions in the fields of intelligent mobility and smart cities,” Orchard commented.
The MoU is a first step towards setting up a strategic partnership between the two leading innovative institutions in the fields of intelligent mobility and smart cities. The MoU signing was driven by the desire of both entities to explore the possibility of entering into a definitive agreement to mutually support each other’s initiatives and work collaboratively to meet both party’s goals and targets.
Dr. Adnan Abu-Dayya, QMIC CEO & executive director, commented: “We are very glad to partner with global institutions like the CMC which share our ambition and goal of building and deployment of innovative mobility systems and services. We are confident this partnership will allow us to demonstrate and benefit from the significant progress we have made in the last 10 years, in terms of technical expertise and the digital assets, to tackle mobility and smart city challenges. We believe many of the challenges are global in nature and the expertise of both the CMC and QMIC can strengthen the contributions and support of the goals of each other’s centers. We are very grateful to the staff of the Embassy of Qatar in the USA for facilitating this partnership to the benefit of both parties”.
As part of the MoU, the parties will conduct a number of activities including:
- Sharing information about their own strategies and programs to support development and delivery of mobility solutions and services
- Capitalize on strengths and capabilities of each party to potentially develop joint programs of mutual interests
- Sharing information about respective market info, key industry and R&D players, and best practices in the field of mobility and smart cities
- Access information about regional and global government funding and deployment strategies in intelligent mobility and smart cities
- Pursue opportunities to organize and host joint webinars and events related to new and innovative mobility technologies
“The CMC is advancing mobility technologies, strategies and policies here in California for the benefit of citizens globally,” said Mark Rawson, CMC’s chief operating officer.
“Partnerships like this with QMIC demonstrate the CMC’s value on a global scale, which will continue to expand as we enter the next phases of our build-out.”
This important collaboration comes as part of the Qatar Embassy’s efforts to establish technological partnerships and collaborations between local Qatari and American entities to facilitate exchange of information and expertise for mutual benefit.
Mr. Fahad Al-Dosari, Qatar’s Commercial Attaché to the United States, commented, “The CMC-QMIC MoU is emblematic of how Qatar is leveraging U.S. technology and expertise to further develop and diversify our economy. Indeed, this partnership is a critical component of Qatar’s digital transformation.”
| CMC Media Contact Christine Ault 916.803.1413 [email protected] | QMIC Media Contact Mr. Abdulrahman Ajjawi +974 55645390, +974 4459 3694 [email protected] |
About QMIC
The Qatar Mobility Innovations Center (QMIC) is the first independent innovations center in the region with a focus on using R&D to develop and deploy Intelligent Mobility and Smart Cities platforms and technologies. QMIC’s main goal is to use locally engineered innovations & knowledge to enable creating home-grown technology industries that address national strategies and tackle regional emerging challenges. It was founded by Qatar University in 2009 and is registered and licensed to operate as a technology innovations center from the Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP).
Since 2009, QMIC has been utilizing emerging technologies including Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence, and Location-Awareness to deliver data-centric platforms and services. In particular, QMIC has been leading in delivering platforms & solutions focusing on key domains including Intelligent Transport, Logistics & Telematics, Road Safety, and Connected & Autonomous Mobility (CAM).
Through its integrated innovations development & delivery model, QMIC represents a unique and important category within the national Research & Development & Innovations (RDI) enterprise in Qatar that is strategically driven, R&D-based, solution-focused and business-oriented
About the California Mobility Center (CMC):
The CMC is a nonprofit, public-private entity providing future mobility innovators and industry incumbents access to programs and resources that accelerate the pace of commercialization worldwide and aspires to be the leading innovation center for global mobility success. The CMC was founded by industry thought leaders in clean technology including California State University, Sacramento, EnerTech Capital, PEM Motion, Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) and the Greater Sacramento Economic Council (GSEC). The CMC is strategically located in Sacramento, CA. Its location puts the CMC in close proximity to California government, which leads the United States and the world in producing policies around green mobility and technology. For more information, visit californiamobilitycenter.org.