Smart City @ Malta Commentary News, views, plans and progress
Please do not call us about jobs, contracts or information - we can't help you.
This column is maintained on the author's personal initiative.
Opinions expressed are the author's own and may not reflect official positions.
No affiliation with SmartCity@Malta is implied.
SmartCity@Malta will be the largest ever private sector ICT project, foreign direct investment and new source of knowledge-based jobs in Malta.
It will transform a run-down Ricasoli industrial estate into a knowledge-worker's dream city with all amenities.
...you only need two kinds of people to create a technology hub: rich people and nerds... - How to Be Silicon Valley.More
A country gearing up...
Having yawned an entire career at the pace of ICT and knowledge-work promotion in Malta,
I have to say that since Austin Gatt's 2003 appointment in matters ICT-related,
the sector has undergone a tremendous boost.
Despite an ever present hint of bulldozing, the results speak for themselves.
Strategic alliances have been forged with global players such as Microsoft, Oracle, Cisco,
and now on an unprecedented scale, with TECOM and DIG.
In 2008, following general elections and a cabinet reshuffle,
the Investment portfolio was handed over to Tonio Fenech.
ICT education also received a nudge.
We had shake-ups at MCAST,
the main technical college in Malta, boosting capacity for ICT-related courses.
In 2006, Juanito Camilleri, a Computer Science scholar turned Corporate CEO,
was appointed Rector at the University of Malta, in a bid to drive change.
Even the stipends system was tweaked to favour uptake of technological courses as demanded by trends in industry.
Post-graduate scholarships are being made available and life-long learning is being promoted more.
With the rise in student numbers, a lot remains to be done to ensure that students receive quality tutoring and reach their potential.
We have yet to see systematic and continuous corrective action taken for teaching outcome shortfalls.
And a recent wave of 'publish or perish' mania at University is not helping.
We need to create exciting opportunities to plug the brain drain of the best and brightest.
We need to 'inspire the next', as Hitachi's tagline goes.
And we need to push for home-grown hi-tech start-ups, leave the sweat-shop mentality behind us, and really go for innovation.
With a bit of luck, a competent orchestration of these changes will mean that as SmartCity tenants set up shop in a few years,
a bigger and better educated workforce and a better developed hi-tech ecosystem will be ready for the challenges ahead.
Facts and figures
$300 million investment on 358,000 sqm.
5,600 job target, of which 65% will be in ICT.
$3 billion estimated real-estate development value.
The land ear-marked for the SmartCity development was home to the derelict Ricasoli industrial estate,
where a handful of factories were still operating and had to be relocated.
Ricasoli is also adjacent to the Mediterranean Film Studios.
These handle projects ranging from blockbuster films to low budget features, television series, commercials and music videos.
One of their large water tanks can be seen towards the top-left of the image.
Setup and operational benefits offered in Dubai Internet City
No news yet of what will be offered in SmartCity@Malta, but certainly,
an attempt to approach the setup and operational benefits offered by competing sites will mean,
first and foremost, a clamp-down on administrative overheads, red-tape and public sector bureaucracy
that needlessly hamper enterprises in Malta.
Small enterprises waste a significant percentage of their productivity dealing with paperwork.
Dubai Internet City offers...
Free Zone
100% Tax Free
100% foreign ownership
No Customs duties
Full currency convertibility
No restrictions on the repatriation of capital and/or profits
No trade barriers or quotas
One Stop Shop
Simplified incorporation process
Hassle-free company laws and legal framework
24-hour visa service
Quick access to Knowledge Workers due to fast-track immigration process
Infrastructure
World’s largest commercial implementer of IP telephony
resources.
Skype chat
]
...you only need two kinds of people to create a technology
- How to Be Silicon Valley.
