Diplomatic World 67

EXPERIMENT, THEN REGULATE
“Learning by experimentation is the UAE mindset, which has
resulted in free zones and specific labs all working towards
the Vision 2071 ambition. They have large R&D centres for just
about everything. For example, there is an energy test centre
that does a lot of experiments in order to store solar energy or
convert it into other forms of energy. The same R&D centre also
focuses on water and 3D printing, so they can explore integrated
solutions from those three angles, to develop hydrogen energy,
for instance. They can still learn a thing or two from us in terms
of sustainability, though. The first e-drone flights have already
taken place there. The UAE wants to be the first to build a fully
operational hyperloop for both people and logistics. Autonomous
vehicles are already being introduced in Masdar City in
Abu Dhabi. We saw autonomous vehicles delivering meals at the
Expo 2020 site. Many tasks you normally need to visit a police
station or town hall for can now be completed either online or at
smart police stations. I saw for myself how an expat extended his
residence visa at a virtual counter in a matter of seconds.
In terms of data protection regulations, for example, they first
looked at what worked and didn’t work in Europe. Then they
carried out some experiments themselves and only then did they
introduce their own final regulations based on their learnings.
This gave them a sound foundation for introducing their regulations
and gave the population an opportunity to give feedback
before anything is enforced. A very interesting approach.”
“All this is obviously possible because the UAE is a very different
kind of country than Belgium with less history (i.e. less of an
installed base), a higher investment budget and a more centrally
managed policy, but we can conclude that we can certainly learn
from its exciting approach. Even though it brings many advantages,
there are of course also disadvantages and concerns, but
as a pioneer of democracy, sustainability and humane innovation
in the Arab world, Dubai does take these to heart.
I therefore hope that we can soon start putting this into practice
with the many other decision makers who travelled to the Dubai
Expo 2020 with us. Our new Living Tomorrow innovation campus
is of course a crucial part of this endeavour. Ecosystems and
communication are key. Firstly, we offer our partners a platform
to showcase and explain their innovations and gather feedback
from their target groups. And secondly, we bring together
unexpected partners across sector boundaries. We don’t just
inspire with the knowledge we gain in Europe. We also reach out
globally to translate the best concepts and changes in society,
technology, services, products and infrastructure into valuable
insights. It is knowledge and experience our organisations –
our participants – desperately need to prepare for the future.
This cross-fertilisation with tangible results is what Living
Tomorrow is focusing on with our new innovation campus that
is opening next year.”
www.livingtomorrow.com
80 81