The cost of global cybercrime is expected to exceed $6 trillion by 2021 and the urgent need to protect critical infrastructure from cyber-attacks was the focus of an InnovItalyUAE session featuring experts from Italy and the UAE.

The Embassy of Italy to the UAE is holding InnovItalyUAE in collaboration with Khalifa University and Dubai Future Foundation. The series of six, online live forums are being held between September and December, and will explore opportunities to enhance bilateral cooperation between Italy and the UAE.

The first forum ‘Cybersecurity: Towards a New Paradigm?’ commenced with a welcome from His Excellency Nicola Lener, Ambassador of Italy to the UAE, who said, “Innovation is the most powerful driver to develop the world economy. It is the backbone of our country and remains a priority for investment. New technologies, platforms, automation and networks allow the development of new business models and help countries to grow, which improves government services and international cooperation. The discussions that began today raised a number of issues around impacts of cyber-attacks and how we can foster cooperation between Italy and the UAE and nations worldwide to deal with such attacks.”

Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Executive Vice President of Khalifa University added: “We are proud to showcase our faculty expertise in cyber security and the related fields. We believe this forum, for the exchange of knowledge and ideas, will further cement the strong relationship between the UAE and Italy.”

Noah Raford from the Dubai Future Foundation commented: “Our priority is to look at how we are going to tackle the questions and challenges that arise and how they will benefit the region and the world. We provide direct support for companies and take pride in being a world-class destination for testing emerging technologies. We are considering what the next 20 years will look like and how we can explore international partnerships, such as those we have with the Italian public and private sector.”

During the live discussion, eight prominent experts presented their thoughts on the challenges, solutions and opportunities for the sector:

Mohamed Al-Kuwaiti, Chief of Cyber Security for the UAE Government said:  “The UAE is moving towards a digital transformation and thanks to the vision of our great leaders; we want to build a safe haven for fostering all aspects to achieve the objectives of UAE Centennial 2071. Today in the cyber world, a network of thousands can be affected by just one click and we are working to build a culture of vigilance against such attacks.

“The UAE is ranked 1st in digital competitiveness in the Arab world and 12th globally. Digital transformation is at the heart of our national strategy and we want to create a safe and resilient network. We will help and support many businesses and we look forward in working together to build safe cyber security across our two nations and globally.”

Roberto Baldoni, Deputy Director of the department of Information for Security (DIS) in charge of National Cybersecurity Presidency of Ministry Council of Italy concluded, “Technology is a double-edged sword; so many opportunities but many issues of security that can backfire. Cyber-attacks can harm essential functions and services of a nation. We are working with the UAE to become a cyber resistant nation.”

InnovItalyUAE is a series of online live forums to discuss challenges and solutions in innovation for the following sectors: cybersecurity, space research, smart cities, life sciences, food technologies, renewable energy, water and circular economy. Governmental institutions along with academia and business experts from both UAE and Italy will address common challenges and set the scope for an increased partnership in the above sectors. – TradeArabia News Service