Abu Dhabi: Khalifa University of Science and Technology (KU), a research university, has been ranked first in the UAE and second overall in the Arab region in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2019.

The university was ranked top in the region in the categories of ‘Research’ and ‘Industry Income’, which measure a university’s ability to help industry with innovations, inventions and consultancy, and relates to knowledge-transfer, a press release issued by the university on Monday said.

This latest global university performance table was announced at The World Academic Summit, which took place at the National University of Singapore on September 27, 2018.

Dr Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Executive Vice-President of KU said the achievement, just a little after a year after the university’s formation through a merger [with Masdar Institute], reflects its dedication to world-class research with real-world applications.

“We are focused on meeting the needs of society and industry through research and development in key sectors of relevance to the UAE’s economy and the world at large, and look forward to seeing the graduates and ideas produced at Khalifa University transform our country, the region, and the world,” he said.

Khalifa University has 16 specialised research centres working to address major challenges of relevance to the region and world in a systematic and targeted manner.

It also has two main research institutes — the Masdar Institute and the Petroleum Institute — which oversee research in sustainability and hydrocarbon exploration, respectively.

This strong research infrastructure has helped produce valuable intellectual property, contributing to Khalifa University becoming the country’s top contributor of patents and invention disclosures, which currently number over 70 and 300, respectively.