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DUBAI: The Future Investment Initiative Institute has released its annual report for 2022, highlighting its achievements and developments over the past year.

The institute, which is based on three pillars, Think, Xchange, and Act, made significant progress in each area. It published 19 reports, held two summits in New York and London, as well as the FII flagship conference in Riyadh, and offered global investors in emerging markets a solution through its ESG methodology.

“We need to learn how to manage crises rather than be managed by them, and the work of FII Institute is fully aligned,” said H.E. Yasir O. Al-Rumayyan, PIF governor and chairman of the board of trustees of FII Institute, in the report.

He added: “Balancing business objectives with broader social responsibility is not something theoretical — it must be practical.”

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the FII spent the past year looking at healthcare in a post-pandemic world, with a focus on leveraging new applications of technology and research with the aim of improving access, quality and efficiency, according to the report.

It also addressed the spread and prevalence of communicable and noncommunicable diseases, and the role companies can play to manage health risks to stakeholders. For example, the institute signed a support agreement with the Denmark Technical University to aid in vaccine research and health education.

Sustainability is another key area of focus for the institute, which is committed to securing a zero carbon-footprint society. The institute said it supports and deploys technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, work toward a healthier and more sustainable food supply chain, develop alternative sources of energy, and help communities manage the effects of climate change.

The FII Institute’s publications and partnerships span various fields, including AI and robotics, health care, sustainability, economics, and more with partners including the World Ocean Council, HEC Paris and the Stanford Precourt Institute for Energy.

Under its Xchange pillar, the institute held three conferences last year. The Priority Summit in London in May 2022 was held under the theme of “Inclusive ESG For Emerging Markets” and brought together global heads of sustainability, ESG, and stewardship, CEOs, government officials, and other experts to engage in conversations in order to shape the future of the global ESG agenda.

In 2022, the FII Institute started to survey human priorities on a global scale, and its summit in New York aimed to uncover the No. 1 priority for individuals. Speakers included Nobel laureates Paul Romer and Kailash Satyarthi, as well as former prime ministers Helle Thorning-Schmidt from Denmark, and Dasho Tshering Tobgay from Bhutan.

The most significant achievement under the third pillar, Act, according to the report, has been the development of an inclusive ESG methodology. The toolbox, which is aimed at leveling the playing field for companies from emerging markets, was introduced at the Priority Summit in London, and later shared with banks, funds and other global investment professionals.

In 2022, the institute also made three new investments in the areas of AI and robotics, and sustainability, bringing the total invested capital to $6.3 million.

The FII Institute’s investments include €500,000 ($560,000) in Timbeter, a global leader in precision forestry; $700,000 in Dogtooth Technologies, a UK-based tech startup that develops and sells autonomous fruit-picking robots; and $500,000 in Seafood Souq, a technology company offering a vertically integrated digital solution for global seafood trade.

Read the full report here.