Dubai: UAE’s Ministry of Defence and Tawazun Economic Council have signed an agreement to establish and organize research and development (R&D) planning for the defense and security sectors.
The parties have agreed to establish and organize R&D activities in various and targeted fields of defense, including dual-use applications.
“This is in order to ensure development of national defense capabilities that meet UAE Armed Forces operational requirements and evaluate them against the UAE’s defense and security goals and objectives,” a statement said.
Mohammed Al Bowardi, Minister of State for Defense Affairs, said that with the deal the Ministry formally recognizes an already existing close relationship with Tawazun.
Under the agreement, the Ministry will be responsible for all defense policy making in relation to R&D, while Tawazun has an enhanced mandate and responsibility to manage the defense R&D programs in the UAE.
The signing of the MOU is the first step in the formation of a structure whereby the two parties will work together with other government companies and universities to energize and accelerate the pace of R&D.
“The Ministry of Defense and Tawazun have been working together to clearly define the roles of entities for R&D and Intellectual Property (IP) Management. Consequently, we have been shaping and developing an R&D strategy for the defense and security sectors, focusing on targeted specific areas of the ecosystem,” said Tareq Al Hosani, CEO of Tawazun said.
“Based on our analysis of the existing ‘in country’ capabilities, the R&D portfolio will include a range of short and long-term projects from basic and applied research through to prototypes and product development to achieve our national objectives,” he added.
