Borealis and Borouge, leading providers of innovative, value-creating plastics solutions, hosted on 26 January 2016 a number of young United Arab Emirates (UAE) students and representatives from the Emirates Foundation on a joint tour at the recently inaugurated Borouge Innovation Centre in Abu Dhabi. Borealis has a long-standing partnership with the Emirates Foundation, an independent philanthropic organization dedicated to empower UAE youth and positively impact their lives.
The joint delegation, led by Mark Garrett, Borealis Chief Executive, and Abdulaziz Alhajri, CEO of Abu Dhabi Polymers Company (Borouge), included Clare Woodcraft-Scott, Chief Executive Officer of the Emirates Foundation, and Mohanna Al Muhairi, Chief Operations Officer of the Emirates Foundation. The delegation also included a number of Abu Dhabi students who are currently participating in the Emirates Foundation’s “Think Science” programme and who were invited to experience polymers innovation in practice and first-hand.
The students participating in the Borouge Innovation Centre tour are currently taking part in the Emirates Foundation’s “Think Science” programme, an initiative developed to encourage Emirati youth to pursue science as a field of study and future career path. The programme seeks to develop and connect local talent, for example by way of national science competitions and creation of an interactive platform linking the would-be scientists with science-based industries. It develops young science “Ambassadors” who use the power of analytical thinking to propose solutions to global technological issues.
The new state-of-the-art Borouge Innovation Centre was inaugurated in late 2015 with nearly USD 150 million having been invested in it. Located in Sas Al Nakhl in Abu Dhabi, the Centre is a key driver in the Borealis and Borouge mission to deliver ‘Value Creation through Innovation’. With a Research & Development (R&D) focus on polymer development and application technology, the Borouge Innovation Centre boasts extensive laboratory and resource application facilities on grounds of approximately 23,000 m2. One clear indication of success is the number of patent filings submitted by the Borouge Innovation Centre which reached to over 200 patents in the past two years, accounting for nearly 30% of all UAE registrations in the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) database.
While the facility collaborates closely with other Borealis Innovation Centres in Europe and the Borouge Application Centre in Shanghai, the Borouge Innovation Centre is Borouge’s global headquarters for product development, advanced product testing and customer service support. In fact, around 15% of products currently produced by Borouge have been developed at the Borouge Innovation Centre. The Innovation Centre employs approximately 70 technicians, researchers and engineers, of whom 25% are Emiratis. The percentage of Emiratis among all staff is expected to grow to nearly 75% in the next five years.
“Now more than ever, the new Borouge Innovation Centre will play an essential role in developing and delivering the value-added plastics that help give our customers the competitive edge in an increasingly complex global marketplace,” says Abdulaziz Alhajri, CEO of Abu Dhabi Polymers Company (Borouge). “We are pleased to be able to share the excitement of innovation with the young scientists of tomorrow.”
“A healthy environment and sustainable society are prerequisites for long-term business success,” says Mark Garrett, Borealis Chief Executive. “Education is crucial to a well-functioning and stable society. What is more, by stimulating interest among the younger generation for the natural sciences, we are cultivating the innovators of tomorrow.”
By way of its Social Fund, Borealis provides regular support for a range of humanitarian, educational and philanthropic organisations in the UAE, including the Emirates Foundation. Founded in 2005 by the Government of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the Emirates Foundation works with partners from both public and private sectors to develop and implement a range of programmes and special projects in order to develop sustainable ways of helping young people in the UAE make an active contribution to the country’s development.
“An important part of our mission is to imbue young Emiratis with a genuine passion for science and technology,” explains Mohanna Obaid Al Muhairi, Emirates Foundation Chief Operation Officer. “Polymer innovations are important building blocks for the UAE’s future knowledge-based economy. It is especially fitting that the students from our ‘Think Science’ programme can experience this hub of innovation up close and personal.”
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For further information please contact:
Borealis:
Kerstin Meckler
Director Communications
Tel. +43 (0)1 22 400 389 (Vienna, Austria)
e-mail: kerstin.meckler@borealisgroup.com
Borouge:
Rehab Omar Ateeq
Regional Communications Manager
Tel. +971 2 60 70805 (Abu Dhabi, UAE)
e-mail: Rehab.Ateeq@borouge.com
Borealis is a leading provider of innovative solutions in the fields of polyolefins, base chemicals and fertilizers. With headquarters in Vienna, Austria, Borealis currently employs around 6,500 and operates in over 120 countries. It generated EUR 8.3 billion in sales revenue in 2014. The International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) of Abu Dhabi owns 64% of the company, with the remaining 36% owned by OMV, an integrated, international oil and gas company. Borealis provides services and products to customers around the world in collaboration with Borouge, a joint venture with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).
Building on its proprietary Borstar® and Borlink™ technologies and 50 years of experience in polyolefins, Borealis and Borouge support key industries including infrastructure, automotive and advanced packaging.
The Borouge 3 plant expansion in Abu Dhabi will be fully operational in 2015. Borouge 3 will deliver an additional 2.5 million tonnes of capacity when fully ramped up, bringing the total Borouge capacity to 4.5 million tonnes. Borealis and Borouge will then have approximately 8 million tonnes of polyolefin capacity.
Borealis offers a wide range of base chemicals, including melamine, phenol, acetone, ethylene, propylene, butadiene and pygas, servicing a wide range of industries. Together with Borouge the two companies will produce approximately 6 million tonnes of Base Chemicals in 2015.
Borealis also creates real value for the agricultural industry with a large portfolio of fertilizers and technical nitrogen products. The company distributes approximately 5 million tonnes per year.
Borealis and Borouge aim to proactively benefit society by taking on real societal challenges and offering real solutions. Both companies are committed to the principles of Responsible Care®, an initiative to improve safety performance within the chemical industry, and contribute to solve the world's water and sanitation challenges through product innovation and their Water for the World™ programme.
For more information visit:
www.borealisgroup.com
www.borouge.com
www.waterfortheworld.net
Borstar is a registered trademark of the Borealis Group.
Water for the World is a trademark of the Borealis Group.
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