SMEP
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) innovation platform UpLink today signed two agreements to catalyze innovative global solutions to today’s most pressing environmental and sustainability challenges.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240118389548/en/
Saudi Arabia expands partnership with World Economic Forum’s UpLink platform to catalyze breakthrough innovations, achieve sustainable development goals (Photo: AETOSWire)
Signed on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2024 in Davos, Switzerland, by His Excellency Faisal F. Alibrahim, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Economy and Planning and Børge Brende, President of the World Economic Forum, the agreements focus on ‘Catalyzing Innovation for an Ocean Positive Economy’ and ‘Catalyzing Innovation for a Positive Circular Carbon Economy (CCE).’
The two agreements aim to foster innovation ecosystems around early-stage impact entrepreneurs to stimulate investments and support for breakthrough solutions that address critical sustainable development challenges including ocean degradation, biodiversity loss, and the circular carbon economy.
The initiative is spearheaded by the Ministry of Economy and Planning (MEP), in partnership with the Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA), the Saudi Green Initiative (SGI) and the WAVE Initiative under FII.
Commenting on the signing of the new agreements at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2024, His Excellency Alibrahim said, “Saudi Arabia is determined to meet this moment of deepening climate and sustainable development challenges with responsible environmental stewardship, and driving transformative investments in breakthrough, innovative and scalable technological solutions.
“By expanding our collaboration with UpLink, we are doubling down on our commitment to support climate-positive solutions that can help build a sustainable and resilient resource future, while unlocking inclusive economic growth opportunities, in line with the Kingdom’s commitment to realizing the sustainable development agenda at the national and international level.”
John Dutton, Head of UpLink, highlighted the urgency of addressing the climate emergency, underscoring the importance of rapid, coordinated action. “Innovative solutions from early-stage entrepreneurs are crucial for realizing the Sustainable Development Goals.
“UpLink, in partnership with global collaborators, is developing a supportive ecosystem for these entrepreneurs, providing vital resources, exposure, expertise, and funding. This enhanced partnership between UpLink and Saudi Arabia demonstrates the transformative impact of innovation and collaboration.”
Building on the MEP-UpLink partnership established in 2022, this new agreement further advances initiatives like the ‘Food Ecosystems in Arid Climate Challenge’ and the ‘Smarter Climate Farmers Challenge,’ previously launched with MEWA. These challenges attracted over 430 submissions, leading to 22 winners who were recognized for their innovative and impactful solutions. Winners received funding, global exposure, and access to WEF and partner events.
Source: AETOSWire
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240118389548/en/
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Logical Intelligence Introduces First Energy-Based Reasoning AI Model, Signals Early Steps Toward AGI, Adds Yann LeCun and Patrick Hillmann to Leadership21.1.2026 19:21:00 CET | Press release
Logical Intelligence, an artificial intelligence company developing energy-based (EBM) reasoning systems, today announced that Kona 1.0, its pioneering EBM for reasoning, will enter pilot programs with select partners in the energy, advanced manufacturing, and semiconductor industries later this quarter. Logical Intelligence also released a live demonstration of Kona 1.0 on its website, beginning with head-to-head sudoku challenges against leading large language models. Additional demonstrations, including chess and Go, are planned. The company said the goal is to give researchers and the public a clear view into how energy-based reasoning differs from probabilistic systems. “Kona learns by recognizing and correcting its own mistakes, rather than guessing the most likely answer,” said Eve Bodnia, founder and CEO of Logical Intelligence. “If general intelligence means the ability to reason across domains, learn from error, and improve without being retrained for each task, then we are s
Galderma Provides Update on Arbitration Case Regarding Neuromodulator Research and Development Partnership21.1.2026 17:35:00 CET | Press release
Galderma (SIX:GALD), the pure-play dermatology category leader, today announced that an International Chamber of Commerce arbitral tribunal issued an award confirming the termination of a 2014 neuromodulator research & development partnership with Ipsen. The partnership was limited to the rights and obligations relating to the companies’ early-stage neuromodulator pipeline for aesthetic indications. Galderma welcomes the clarity provided by the arbitral tribunal. This decision has no impact on the commercialization of Galderma’s neuromodulator portfolio. Galderma will continue to commercialize and supply Dysport®/Azzalure®, Alluzience®, and RelfydessTM in all territories where it has regulatory approval and in accordance with our existing agreements with our partner Ipsen. Progressing on our path towards becoming the undisputed dermatology powerhouse Galderma remains focused on its ambition to become the world’s undisputed dermatology powerhouse across the full spectrum of a fast-growi
ThetaRay Appoints Financial Markets Technology Leader Brad Levy as Chief Executive Officer21.1.2026 17:00:00 CET | Press release
Former Symphony CEO to lead ThetaRay’s next phase of AI-driven category leadership in transaction monitoring and due diligence ThetaRay, a global leader in Cognitive AI financial crime compliance, today announced the appointment of Brad Levy as Chief Executive Officer. Levy, a leading financial markets infrastructure executive and former CEO of Symphony, will lead ThetaRay’s next phase of growth as the company continues to scale its Cognitive AI platform, now emerging as the leading AI strategy and technology for transaction monitoring and transaction due diligence, across banks and fintechs worldwide. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260121002476/en/ ThetaRay Appoints Brad Levy as CEO Levy brings decades of experience building and leading mission-critical financial infrastructure at scale. Most recently, he served as CEO of Symphony, the financial markets infrastructure and technology platform established by a
HCL Group and UpLink Announce Winners of ‘Water Resilience Challenge’ Under the Aquapreneur Innovation Initiative21.1.2026 16:02:00 CET | Press release
10 Aquapreneurs selected from over 300 applicantsWinners showcased innovations across digital water management, biological breakthroughs, hardware solutions, deep-tech design, and community-driven modelsFinancial support of CHF 1.75 million available to scale initiativesAquapreneur Innovation Initiative: CHF 15 million commitment to global water challenges HCL Group, a leading global conglomerate, and UpLink, the World Economic Forum’s early-stage innovation initiative, have announced the winners of the ‘Water Resilience Challenge,’ the fourth in a series of five challenges under the five-year, CHF 15 million Aquapreneur Innovation Initiative launched by HCL Group. The announcement marks a significant step in the ongoing mission to address global water challenges through innovation and entrepreneurship. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260121697759/en/ Roshni Nadar Malhotra, Chairperson of HCL Group, congratula
illumynt Appoints Chris Tejeda as Chief Revenue Officer21.1.2026 15:47:00 CET | Press release
illumynt today announced the promotion of Chris Tejeda to Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), reflecting the company’s continued growth and expanding global footprint. In his new role, Tejeda will lead illumynt’s global revenue strategy, customer engagement, and strategic partnerships as demand accelerates for secure, technology-driven IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) solutions. “Chris has been instrumental in aligning our commercial strategy with the evolving needs of hyperscale and enterprise customers,” said CEO Joerg Herbarth. “As AI accelerates infrastructure refresh cycles and raises the bar for security and compliance, his leadership will be critical to scaling illumynt with focus, transparency, and customer trust.” Tejeda brings extensive experience in enterprise technology services and has played a key role in illumynt’s recent momentum, including significant revenue growth and the expansion of advanced capabilities across AI/GPU diagnostics, automation, and value recovery. View source ve
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom
