With a view to set out opportunities, stakeholder interest and general information about the new zero-emission city in Abu Dhabi, Masdar City, the Nordic Committee of Senior Officials for Business has commissioned Nordic Innovation to conduct a feasibilitystudy on establishing a permanent Nordic representation in Masdar city.
The project falls under the lighthouse project Strategic Global Marketing of Nordic Cleantech Clusters and Competencies, initiated by the Nordic Co-operation Programme on Innovation and Business Policy.
Masdar City is a new development in Abu Dhabi and one out of four vehicles established by the emirate’s sovereign wealth fund, with a view to green and diversify the emirate’seconomy.
The projection for Masdar City seems very ambitious; however, the project has been delayed due to the economic crisis in 2008 and Masdar City has until recently been limited to the area around Masdar Institute’s campus. With more new office buildings, opening in 2013 and 2014, Masdar City could potentially develop into the global hot spot for green tech industries and institutions as planned.
For Nordic companies, Masdar City holds different opportunities. First and foremost as an export platform, but physical presence could also be important for companies seeking growth capital or investments in larger infrastructure projects. The location also opens up for R&D cooperation as well as global networking.