Arabian Gulf Steel Industries (AGSI) and Sustain Labs Paris (SLP), announced a new partnership at GITEX 2025 to launch the AGSI Youth Microgrant for Circularity, an initiative that provides financial capital to high school and university students across the UAE to design solutions addressing community and environmental challenges through the lens of circularity. The partnership was announced by Dr. Miniya Chatterji, CEO of SLP, and Chanda Hussain, Executive Director at AGSI.
The initiative marks the first collaboration between AGSI and SLP, aligning with both organisations’ shared commitment to advancing sustainability education and fostering innovation among youth. By bridging academic learning with practical application, the program reinforces the UAE’s vision to develop a knowledge-based economy and cultivate environmentally conscious young leaders.
AGSI is the UAE’s largest private steelmaker and steel recycler with its Abu Dhabi facility becoming the first carbon neutral steel plant in the MENA region in 2024. Sustain Labs Paris is the world’s largest venture builder focusing on innovation and sustainable growth with deep expertise in education. The two organisations come together to extend their leadership to shape a more circular and sustainable future.
The AGSI Youth Microgrant for Circularity is an education corpus that supports students aged 16 to 21 years in designing and executing circularity-focused community projects, such as water conservation, material reuse, and waste reduction. Through microgrants, technical learning, and mentorship, the programme empowers youth to transform their ideas into tangible community impact nurturing problem-solving, entrepreneurial and technical skills while driving meaningful sustainability outcomes.
Circularity has always defined AGSI’s approach. We’ve built a model that grows responsibly, reusing resources, minimising emissions, and setting a benchmark for how steel can be made differently. Through this initiative, we’re empowering youth to design real-world sustainability solutions, and extending that same philosophy beyond our operations, investing not only in innovation, but in the next generation of changemakers who will shape a circular economy for the UAE. This partnership with Sustain Labs Paris builds on our ongoing work with academia to nurture green skills, creativity, and environmental responsibility among students who will lead the industries of the future,” said Chanda Hussain, Executive Director, Arabian Gulf Steel Industries. “
At the occasion, Dr. Miniya Chatterji said “We are extremely pleased to partner with AGSI, who is walking the talk on circularity. The partnership provides micro-capital and supports children in schools and universities to take initiative, design, and implement their own community projects that solve environmental challenges with solutions leveraging the circular economy. This not only nurtures their entrepreneurial spirit but also directs it towards solving problems that matter.”
The first cycle of the AGSI Youth Microgrant for Circularity begins in October 2025 and will engage 200 students across schools and universities in the UAE. By Earth Day 2026, participants will showcase their completed projects demonstrating measurable impact through their projects.
