His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, has chaired a meeting of the board of directors of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), during which His Highness reviewed the council’s plans to launch three new ventures, as well as its pioneering achievements and ambitious plans for Abu Dhabi and the UAE to reaffirm their respective positions in the global research and development landscape.
His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan reaffirmed the importance of continuing to implement plans and initiatives launched by the ATRC locally and globally to advance research and development in innovative technologies and AI solutions, emphasizing the position of the Emirates the United Arab Emirates as an incubator for innovation by encouraging the application of technology-based solutions across vital sectors.
His Highness also highlighted the importance of the UAE Council’s Research Map in enhancing research collaboration efforts between relevant entities across the country and supporting the UAE’s national talents and competencies in technological innovation as well as research and development of large language patterns. His Highness mentioned that raising the quality of life and increasing efficiency in related industries and sectors through the use of technological innovations will support comprehensive and sustainable socio-economic development throughout the country.
His Highness also reiterated the need to qualify and prepare UAE national talent in STEM-based fields, referring to the importance of these vital disciplines in improving the UAE’s research landscape and developing advanced innovations for positively impacted key sectors, especially education, research and development. advanced industries, healthcare, agriculture, environment, robotics and new technologies.
As the UAE pursues its National Innovation Strategy, the ATRC is executing its mandate to shape Abu Dhabi’s R&D ecosystem and promote higher education and careers in STEM, ensuring that the UAE develops a dynamic talent pool that meets current and future requirements, in line with the UAE Centennial. Plan 2071.
The Council discussed its progress towards shaping an innovative R&D ecosystem. This included the council’s commercialization arm, VentureOne, preparing to launch three innovative ventures to transform data security into the quantum age, intelligent autonomous mobility and Agritech with robotics technology, which align with the emirate’s economic priorities. These ventures are scheduled to launch later this year, marking an important step in translating pioneering research into products and services.
The meeting also reviewed the UAE council’s research map, which has become a key resource for the research community. Since its launch in May 2024, the portal has attracted more than 2,000 visits in its first two months and features 30 participating entities, with more than 450 registered experts. Its success in centralizing access to national research resources, while fostering collaboration between academia and the public and private sectors, has recently led to 10 other entities expressing interest in joining the portal.
Aligning with ongoing efforts to support advanced research and related affiliates, the ATRC has invited proposals from nations to access the council’s $200 million ATRC Global Technology Research and Development Fund and is accelerating the integration of the language model United Arab Emirates Falcon major (LLM) in local and global technology. infrastructure and government services.
Additionally, the meeting reviewed ATRC’s applied research pillar, the Technology Innovation Institute (TII), which continues to excel in alignment with national priorities. It recently unveiled Abu Dhabi’s new Optical Quantum Ground Station, representing the Arab world’s first and largest facility in the MENA region dedicated to the development of secure optical communications in free space. Additionally, in support of the UAE’s Net Zero by 2050 programme, TII’s Directed Energy Center received a prestigious award from the UAE Research Program for Rainfall Science (UAEREP), the which addresses critical environmental challenges. TII’s latest Falcon Large Tongue Model (LLM) was independently verified by global LLM leadership, Hugging Face. The model has witnessed 85,000 downloads since its launch in May 2024, with a total of more than 45 million downloads across all Falcon LLM models.
During the meeting, the work progress of ASPIRE, the council’s program management branch, was also discussed. ASPIRE aims to execute several important projects to support the UAE National Food Security Strategy 2051 and contribute to global food security through its partnership with XPRIZE Feed the Next Billion.
The ATRC meeting was attended by board members, His Excellency Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology; His Excellency Dr. Ahmed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Head of the Office of the President for Strategic Affairs at the Presidential Court; His Excellency Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority; His Excellency Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi, Minister of Investments; His Excellency Faisal Abdulaziz Al Bannai, Secretary General of ATRC; His Excellency Mansoor Ibrahim Al Mansoori, Chairman of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi; and His Excellency Ahmed Tamim Al Kuttab, Chairman of the Government Enablement Department – Abu Dhabi.