Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), the entity that shapes Abu Dhabi’s advanced technology R&D ecosystem, has announced the launch of VentureOne, a new commercialisation arm, in order to bring innovative research solutions to market at speed, and monetise IP generated at Technology Innovation Institute‘s (TII) centres and beyond.
Research centres
ATRC’s three specialised advanced technology research centres – in propulsion, alternative energy, and biotechnology – were also launched, bringing the total number of deep-tech research sites the ATRC oversees to 10.
VentureOne will help facilitate IP creation, support the start-up ecosystem, and improve the market viability of the research breakthroughs to ensure that they go mainstream and impact the broadest cross-section of the global population.
ATRC’s new research centres will add value to the thriving technology ecosystem already in place in Abu Dhabi and further position the emirate as a preferred R&D hub to attract global experts and nurture local STEM talent to carry out ground-breaking research.
With aerospace and space becoming key national priorities for the UAE, the Propulsion Research Centre is engaged with technologies that enable aerial vehicles to increase performance with regard to speed and range, fuel efficiency, emissions, noise, landing field length and handling.
The Alternative Energy Research Centre will focus on enabling water security and ensuring improved and varied tech applications in the face of climate change.
The Biotechnology Research Centre is engaged in strengthening the UAE’s R&D capabilities in core areas including genetic engineering, biomaterials, and autonomous devices. Many of these advances will benefit the food, agriculture and healthcare sectors.
Future growth
Regarding the new Centres, Faisal Al Bannai, Secretary-General of the ATRC, said, “We commend the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, for his unwavering support and direction in establishing a transformative R&D hub in Abu Dhabi. There was initial scepticism about the ability of a young entity to achieve what many established research hubs have been unable to do – attract global talent and patent breakthrough solutions right here to give the country greater autonomy in the advanced technology space.”
Al Bannai also spoke on ATRC’s growth plans for TII, its applied research pillar, and ASPIRE, its programme management pillar, as well as their entities, stating that they are well aligned with the UAE’s Principles of the 50 and Projects of the 50 that aim to make the nation’s economy one of the best and most dynamic in the world.
According to Al Bannai, over the past year, TII’s research centres have signed 65 global partnership agreements with 37 universities, research centres, and industrial stakeholders. The centres have welcomed on board 101 nationals as associate researchers and scientists. TII has also developed over 200 publications and filed five patents. TII boasts 34 globally-renowned expert Advisors on its Scientific Advisory Boards at its centres.
Regional firsts
The Cryptography Research Centre developed the National Crypto Library, shaped a Post Quantum Cryptography software library, and launched the UAE’s first secure cloud technologies programme. The Directed Energy Research Centre opened the region’s first electromagnetic compatibility lab and shaped the prototype of a ground-penetrating radar for the detection of unexploded landmines. Meanwhile, the Quantum Research Centre has commenced efforts to build the region’s first quantum computer and launched the first simulation version of “Qibo”, a versatile open-source quantum computing programming framework, in collaboration with researchers worldwide.
The Secure Systems Research Centre has partnered with Purdue University on a first-in-the-region motion capture facility, and gained membership of DroneCode, a US-based non-profit run by the Linux Foundation to foster the use of open-source software on flying vehicles. In addition, SSRC is an accredited member of RISC-V, a non-profit organization controlled by its members, which directs the future development and drives the adoption of the RISC-V free and open Instruction Set Architecture (ISA).
ASPIRE, ATRC’s technology programme management pillar, has launched the Mohamed Bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge’s Maritime Grand Challenge 2023. The competition will bring together universities, research institutions and individual innovators from all over the world to collaborate on finding a practical solution to global maritime security challenges such as illegal fishing, piracy, smuggling, and human trafficking.
