Innovation has been part of the very fabric of the UAE long before the nation was called by that name. It was the spirit of innovation and creativity that so long ago allowed the UAE’s settlers to cultivate their communities, nurture their rich cultures, and establish trade and industry in such resource-scarce coastal deserts, thriving in an environment that would have defeated less innovative people.
So it comes as no surprise to those of us who have studied and admired the history of the UAE and its people that the UAE leadership would recognize innovation as critical for the next phase of the country’s development and prosperity. The recent announcement of the National Innovation Strategy follows more than a decade of concerted efforts from the UAE leadership to guide the nation towards a path of continuing progress and prosperity.
In 2007 the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030 was launched to provide a strategic roadmap to transforming the economy into a knowledge economy focused on innovative sectors forecast to be of great value and importance in the high-tech future. Among them were a number of emerging high-tech industries into which Abu Dhabi intended to leverage its significant national wealth, political will, strategic agility and the ambition of its people to rapidly develop expertise and leadership. Abu Dhabi further strengthened its focus on innovative technology with the launch of its complementary Abu Dhabi Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Vision, which would be pursued by its Technology Development Committee (TDC).
Around the time of the launch of Vision 2030, Abu Dhabi established the Masdar Initiative to help develop its advanced technology and sustainable energy sectors and capacity. To achieve this, Masdar formed separate technology and investment arms within its sustainable-energy powered Masdar City free zone, which was to become is now becoming a regional hub for innovative advanced technology and sustainable energy companies. To support in its aims, Masdar City set up its Incubator Building to house start-ups, small-and-medium sized enterprises, and regional offices for multinationals.
To further support Abu Dhabi’s innovation and entrepreneurship efforts, Masdar was also given the responsibility of establishing a research-focused academic institution that had innovation and entrepreneurship as one of its major areas of activity. The resulting Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, of which I am honoured to be the president, has in its seven years of academic operations, given its full support to the UAE’s efforts to promote innovation through research and development activities. Working with one of the world’s most innovative technical institutions – the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) — Masdar Institute is focused on developing the human and intellectual capital that all competitive, creative, and qualitative industries require to produce the innovations that are true wealth generators and game changers.
2014 has been a watershed year for Masdar Institute’s innovation initiatives. In January the Institute announced a Dh26 million Technology Innovation Collaboration Agreement with BP. It initiated an MIT-taught Entrepreneurship Bootcamp, designed to give scientists and engineers the skills required to develop the commercial potential of their ideas. This year Masdar Institute also organised “speed mentoring” events that invite aspiring innovators throughout the UAE to pitch their ideas in front of a panel of experts to provide them with guidance and insight to improve their chances of funding and success. This year as well, two of our graduate students received the first scholarships under an innovative Masdar Institute programme designed to encourage startup formation before graduation and reduce entrepreneurial risk. With support from the TDC’s Takamul programme, Masdar Institute has to date filed more than 40 patents and has already received three issued patents, two of which were issued in 2014 alone. Development of a strong portfolio is an essential component of innovation and this has clearly been recognized by the UAE government.
Earlier this year, Masdar Institute and MIT established a grant programme to commercialise breakthrough technologies and inventions being jointly developed by faculty and students of both institutes. It does this by transforming promising ideas at both universities into innovative products and cutting-edge spin-off companies with modest but pivotal investments in translational research by the most talented scientists and engineers from both institutes. The first four one-year grants were awarded in September. Three of the grants are directed to potential water applications. In addition, this year the Masdar Institute awarded four one-year Technology Innovation Programme grants to its faculty for translational research independent of our MIT collaboration.
To further support the UAE’s innovative knowledge economy goals, Masdar Institute launched four research centres dedicated to the sectors of most value to the UAE. The Institute Centre for Water and Environment, the Institute Centre for Energy, the Institute Centre for Microsystems and the Institute Centre for Smart and Sustainable Systems, with their interdisciplinary research focus, cover the seven sectors targeted in the UAE’s new innovation strategy — renewable energy, transport, education, health, technology, water and space.
In 2013 Masdar Institute also launched the Institute Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship to address the critical need to introduce innovative commercial products, services and processes through formation of technology-based start-up companies. The Institute’s new innovation centre also works with stakeholders to improve the innovation ecosystem in the UAE in roundtable discussions and events such as the UAE Forum on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which took place for the first time last year.
The innovation ecosystem, after all, is the soil in which all of our ideas grow. It is where our promising concepts and patents either take root and with the right conditions, branch out to become vibrant and fruitful commercial entities, or without the right support, wither and die. It is the innovation ecosystem that the UAE leadership has been working so patiently and with such dedication to create — with the UAE Vision 2021, Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030, Abu Dhabi STI Vision, Masdar Initiative, TDC, and now, with the roadmap of the National Innovation Strategy. And it is the innovation ecosystem that will be further strengthened with the new legislation, innovation incubators, new funding mechanisms, private-sector incentives, international research partnerships, and a government focus on sustained investment that will follow the launch of the new strategy.
As the National Innovation Strategy is rolled out and its wisdom and directives cascade across the country, the efforts that the UAE government and its early partners made to help develop the UAE’s innovation ecosystem will be greatly strengthened and enhanced. I look forward to working with more industries, universities and government bodies to see how Masdar Institute can enhance the UAE’s innovation goals with our cutting-edge systems, technology and policy engineering to help the UAE secure greater competitive advantage in all of its targeted sectors.
Dr Fred Moavenzadeh is the president of Abu Dhabi’s Masdar Institute of Science and Technology.
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