Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas, today announced the eighth edition of its annual research programme with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

This year, EGA welcomes nine MIT PhD and Master’s student engineers, alongside a professor, who will collaborate with EGA’s teams on tackling technical challenges impacting the global aluminium industry.

EGA has hosted more than 60 student engineers from MIT’s David H. Koch School of Chemical Engineering Practice since 2015. EGA’s partnership with MIT has generated some USD 1.6 million in annual cost savings through implementation of performance and efficiency enhancements.

The David H. Koch School of Chemical Engineering Practice at MIT sends students to industrial companies worldwide, enabling them to apply their academic knowledge to develop innovative solutions to industrial challenges. EGA was the first company in the Middle East to participate in the programme.

This year’s seven-week programme with MIT focuses on reducing emissions and energy efficiency.

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said: "EGA works with universities in the UAE and around the world to combine the latest academic thinking with our industrial expertise. Our long-standing partnership with MIT enables us to engage some of the brightest young engineering minds in tackling complex industrial challenges with sustainable solutions.”

In 2023, the MIT student engineer’s projects included investigating the feasibility of using hydroturbines to generate electricity from seawater outflows from EGA’s plants.