Industrial cybersecurity vendor Dragos announced a public-private partnership with the UAE Cyber Security Council (CSC) to establish an OT Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence (CoE) in the UAE. The announcement, made under the nation's "Make it in Emirates" Forum on May 4, 2026, positions the UAE as an emerging hub for operational technology (OT) security governance as attacks on industrial control systems (ICS) accelerate across the Gulf region.
Background
In November 2020, the UAE Cabinet established the UAE Cyber Security Council to develop a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy and ensure a secure cyber infrastructure as part of the UAE's broader digital transformation. The Council has since pursued a strategy of localizing advanced cyber capabilities through structured public-private engagements.
Honeywell's 2025 Cyber Threat Report documented a 46% increase in ransomware extortion incidents globally during the most recent reporting period, while 55% of self-reported cybersecurity incidents in 2024 were direct attacks on operational technology. That threat backdrop has sharpened the urgency of the UAE's multi-partner OT security program.
The Middle East cybersecurity market is projected to reach $31 billion by 2030, while the UAE's cybersecurity market has grown at a CAGR of 16.4% from 2020 to 2025.
Details
Through the partnership, Dragos will provide a specialized OT environment where professionals can simulate real-world cyberattack and defense scenarios. The centre will enable operators to understand how OT environments are monitored, how threats are detected, and how effective defenses are implemented in practice.
Robert M. Lee, CEO and co-founder of Dragos, stated: "Industrial and critical infrastructure in the UAE and the broader Gulf region faces real and growing threats, and the same threat groups we track globally are active here."
Dr. Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cyber Security for the UAE Government, said the Council's collaboration with international partners to establish Cybersecurity Centers of Excellence "comes amid a surge in cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure," and that these centers "serve as advanced platforms that enable proactive threat anticipation, continuous monitoring, and early detection of cyber incidents."
The Dragos CoE was not the only OT security agreement signed at the forum. The UAE Cyber Security Council and Siemens signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen cybersecurity cooperation across critical infrastructure and industrial sectors. The MoU establishes a strategic framework for joint action in cyber defense, knowledge sharing, and the development of locally hosted security capabilities. Under the agreement, the two parties intend to establish a Joint Innovation Center of Excellence dedicated to advancing OT cybersecurity research, talent development, and the deployment of advanced solutions within the UAE. They also plan to share intelligence on information security risks, malware propagation, and indicators of compromise, and will pursue technical workshops, training programs, and knowledge exchange initiatives to strengthen the UAE's national cyber talent pipeline.
The UAE Cyber Security Council and Honeywell separately announced a collaboration to develop advanced cybersecurity programs across the country, also at the Make it in the Emirates 2026 event. Combined Honeywell and CSC technologies are to be deployed at the UAE's National Security Operations Centre (NSOC) to deliver OT cyber solutions aimed at safeguarding critical industrial infrastructure.
IBM also announced a collaboration with the Council to establish a joint Innovation Center in Abu Dhabi focused on trusted AI, cyber resilience, governance frameworks, and emerging technologies aligned with the UAE's digital transformation agenda.
Outlook
The Dragos Centre of Excellence is intended to support the UAE's ambition to localize advanced cybersecurity capabilities, accelerate homegrown innovation, and build a skilled cyber workforce. The Siemens framework aims to deliver technology transfer alongside a comprehensive knowledge ecosystem that strengthens skills, expertise, and institutional resilience. Taken together, the cluster of OT-focused CoE agreements signed at MIITE 2026 signals a deliberate shift toward institutionalizing public-private governance structures as the primary mechanism for standardizing industrial cybersecurity practice across the region.
