US O&G engineering firm Emerson says its new $25 million new technology and innovation center at Dhahran Techno Valley, in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia enables the company to host Saudi students, entrepreneurs, researchers and industry stakeholders to collaborate with its technical experts to develop process automation technologies and design products and solutions that, “meet the country’s goals.”

The facility houses a collaboration center, educational classrooms, an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) laboratory for R&D, and concept test laboratories, explained the company in a statement.

During the inauguration of the facility, Emerson signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Saudi Aramco for further collaboration, in the presence of Amin Nasser, CEO of Saudi Aramco and David Farr, Emerson’s chairman and CEO. 

“The opening of this facility marks the beginning of a new era for our operations in Saudi Arabia. This project is part of Emerson’s long-term commitment to Saudi Arabia’s growth and to make our technology expertise easily accessible for stakeholders,” said Farr. “The state-of-the-art systems in this facility will facilitate our education and collaborative research activities with our partners and customers. We also look forward to helping develop the knowledge and skills of industry stakeholders, university students, and entrepreneurs, as well as providing opportunities for local small to medium-size enterprises to participate in our supply chain for our innovative products and solutions.”