The Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology used this year’s Make it in the Emirates Awards to do more than hand out trophies. It spotlighted the companies and leaders that already build real products, improve factory standards, and push the UAE’s industrial goals forward. MoIAT announced the winners on the first day of Make it in the Emirates 2026, which ran from May 4 to May 7 at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi.
Tech headlines still chase flashy launches, yet governments and investors now pay closer attention to execution. They want factories that ship, supply chains that hold up, and industrial systems that use AI and automation in practical ways. The UAE built this event around that exact shift, with a program that gave major space to local manufacturing, AI in production, robotics, supply chain strength, and skilled talent.
Make it in the Emirates Awards kept the spotlight on builders
MoIAT gave the Tech Frontier Award to Halcon Systems in the large enterprise category and Immensa in the SME category. It gave the National Industrial Growth Award to Borouge PLC and Global Pharma. It also gave the Quality and Compliance Award to Emsteel and RMEA Manufacturing LLC. The ministry rewarded companies that show scale, production strength, and strong factory discipline.
MoIAT also honoured people shaping the wider industrial push. Abdulla AbuEbeid, cofounder and CEO of VIAI Technologies, won the Next Generation Industrial Leader Award. Dr Bakheet Al Katheeri, CEO of Mubadala’s UAE Investment Platform, won the Inspirational Industrial Leader Award. In the UAE Traditional Craft Award, Saeed Al Shahi, Atija Al Muhairbi, and Fatima Al Mansoori won as individuals, while Ajzal Studio won in the enterprise category. MoIAT linked advanced industry to culture, entrepreneurship, and local production skills rather than treating them as separate tracks.
The event backed real factory tech
Day two of Make it in the Emirates centered on the National In Country Value program, local supply chains, SME growth, and the awards themselves. Day three moved straight into AI, robotics, autonomous systems, smart factories, and the jump into advanced manufacturing at scale. That schedule shows what the UAE wants now. It wants industrial tech that improves output, speed, and resilience inside real operations.
The ministry launched the index to measure how ready factories are for digital tools and sustainable production. In plain terms, the UAE wants manufacturers to stop treating Industry 4.0 as a slogan. It wants them to assess their plants, find the gaps, and fix them. The winners fit that mood. They reflect a market that rewards adoption, quality control, and long-term factory performance.
The awards came with serious industrial weight
The last edition of Make it in the Emirates drew more than 122,000 visitors and participants, hosted over 720 exhibitors, and led to companies signing more than 187 agreements and memorandums. Organisers also announced new industrial projects worth more than AED 11 billion. Those figures show why these awards now carry more weight than a standard conference honour.
The same official report said industrial procurement under the National In-Country Value program reached AED 168 billion in 2025, up from AED 143 billion in the prior edition. It also said the program now covers 4,800 locally manufacturable products and that cumulative local spending under the program hit AED 347 billion by the end of 2024. When readers look at the awards through that lens, the meaning gets sharper. MoIAT is using recognition to guide capital and demand toward firms that can help the UAE build more at home.
The winners reflect where the market is heading
Halcon Systems points to defense and advanced manufacturing. Immensa brings additive manufacturing into the conversation. Borouge, Global Pharma, and Emsteel show that large-scale industry, healthcare production, and compliance still sit at the center of industrial policy. VIAI Technologies adds a younger tech founder to the picture, while the traditional craft awards remind readers that local production also includes heritage sectors that can still grow as businesses.
The UAE’s industrial story now runs on applied AI, local production, manufacturing quality, and supply chain control. That trend matches what the wider tech market has done over the past year. Buyers now want tools that cut waste, speed up output, and strengthen local capacity. Make it in the Emirates Awards reflected that shift with unusual clarity. They honoured companies and leaders who already do the work.
