Abu Dhabi launches technology commercialisation arm, new research centres

Abu Dhabi's Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC) has announced the launching of a commercialisation arm, as well as three new research centres. (Advanced Technology Research Council)

The Emirate of Abu Dhabi's Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC) announced the creation of a new technology commercialisation arm, VentureOne, as well as the establishment of three new research centres covering Propulsion, Alternative Energy, and Biotechnology.

According to a statement released on 5 January, VentureOne will “help facilitate IP [intellectual property] creation, strengthen the start-up ecosystem, and boost the market viability of the research breakthroughs to ensure that they go mainstream and impact the widest cross-section of the global population”.

The new Propulsion Research Centre will be developing technologies that enable aerial vehicles to improve their performance in areas such as speed, range, fuel efficiency, and emissions. The Alternative Energy Research Centre will be focused on enabling water security, while the Biotechnology Research Centre will strengthen the United Arab Emirate's (UAE's) research and development (R&D) capabilities in genetic engineering, biomaterials, and autonomous devices for use in the agricultural and healthcare sectors.

The organisation also reviewed its progress over the past year in the release, as well as that of its subsidiaries – the Technology Innovation Institute (TII) and technology programme management organisation ASPIRE.

TII's research centres cover quantum computing, autonomous robotics, cryptography, advanced materials, digital security, directed energy, and secure systems. During 2021, 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 Center also opened the region's first electromagnetic compatibility lab and shaped the prototype of a ground-penetrating radar for the detection of unexploded land mines.