27 January 2023
James Wilson and Jorge Fernández led two high-level seminars on ‘Transformative research to boost territorial development’, convened by the Department of Energy of the Abu Dhabi Government
A delegation from Orkestra was invited to Abu Dhabi last week to present and discuss the Basque Country case of economic development strategy and the role that Orkestra plays within the Basque Country’s system of institutions. James Wilson and Jorge Fernández led two high-level seminars on ‘Transformative research to boost territorial development’, convened by the Department of Energy of the Abu Dhabi government during Abu Dhabi’s sustainability week.
The first seminar was oriented to policymakers from across a range of departments in the Abu Dhabi government plus universities and research organisations, while participants at the second seminar came from a broad range of private-sector companies. Both seminars focused on the roles that transformative research can play in supporting public and private-sector decision-makers as territories such as Abu Dhabi or the Basque Country tackle challenging socioeconomic transitions, such as the energy transition.
The Basque Country case highlights the benefits of a clearly-focused and long-term territorial strategy that mutually re-enforces the economic and social dimensions of development. Key learnings of relevance for other territories include building from existing strengths, taking calculated risks by prioritising specific activities, progressive internationalisation, and building policy capabilities for strategic thinking and implementation that span public and private institutions. With regards the latter, Orkestra’s approach to transformative research that actively engages decision-makers throughout the research process is particularly relevant, and it is exciting to see international interest in our experiences that can lead to further learning across territories.
The Orkestra delegation also attended the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) 2023, invited by the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy. They learned about the multiple and impressive sustainable and zero-emissions energy projects that are being carried out in the emirate, including the expansion of the Barakah nuclear plant, carbon-neutral Masdar City or the Al Dhafra 2 GW solar photovoltaic project, to name a few. The discussions in the ADSW 2023 focused on relevant issues in the global energy sector, such as the road to COP 28, which will take place in Dubai later in 2023, and on the role of green hydrogen as a key lever for the decarbonization of hard-to-abate industries.
