Talk to us about the role that TII plays as part of the global technology supply chain?
Through our core statement of purpose, “To see beyond the horizon and research without fear to pioneer tomorrow’s advanced technologies”, Technology Innovation Institute (TII) focuses on shaping transformative technical solutions for a safer and more secure world by staying at the forefront of cutting-edge innovation. As the applied research pillar of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), TII is already regarded as a leading global research institute in just over a year.
By aligning with Abu Dhabi’s vision, TII will enhance the UAE’s position as a preferred global R&D hub and attract the world’s best scientists to drive IP development and shape the UAE’s knowledge economy.
To complement the seven initial dedicated research centres in advanced materials, autonomous robotics, cryptography, directed energy, digital security, quantum, and secure systems, we announced three more research centres this year in propulsion, biotechnology, and alternative energy.
VentureOne, ATRC’s commercialisation arm, also announced this year, will work as an incubator to fast-track our solutions and prototypes from lab to market. TII’s research centres will feed into this ecosystem and help shape startups and enterprises that become self-sustaining entities. Later, VentureOne will also open doors to other entities who wish to join our thriving ecosystem in the UAE capital.
Which future-technologies are you most excited about and where do you see their applications?
It is hard to say exactly which ones will have the biggest impact, but I can say they are all leading regionally in their own disciplines.
Our Quantum Research Center is building the Arab region’s first quantum computer, which requires constructing its unique environmental surroundings. There are multiple experiments and studies being undertaken in quantum information sciences at the centre.
At our Advanced Materials Research Center, we have just launched the region’s first Impact Lab, with some cutting-edge machinery to test materials in extreme conditions and gauge their impact. The outcomes will help shape everything from helmets to aeroplane parts that can withstand the most severe collisions. Such innovations will save countless lives in the long run.
Our Directed Energy Research Center opened the MENA region’s first electromagnetic compatibility labs to help the country manage all its high-energy laser and microwave testing requirements and support its AED300bn ($81.7bn) industrial strategy. The centre’s important breakthrough solution last year – a ground-penetrating radar – is showing promising demand from around the world among nations keen to detect and neutralise landmines.
The Cryptography Research Center established the UAE’s first sovereign national crypto library, and it is engaged in developing variations of its Post-Quantum Cryptography library, set to ensure the sustained security and non-repudiation of confidential information and data even in a quantum era.
Further, our Autonomous Robotics Research Center drove our participation as TII-EuroRacing Team in setting important record speeds of 272 kph in the Autonomous Challenge @CES2022, the world’s first autonomous overtaking race in Las Vegas in January 2022.
TII has also set its sights on future mobility – we have partnered with Virgin Hyperloop to help shape futuristic hyperloop transportation in the country and beyond.
How does the UAE compare globally as a hub for innovation and technological research?
We are in our early days of shaping an innovation economy here in the UAE, but in under two years, the outcomes are tangible. The biggest takeaway is that we are shaping a research mindset and putting in place the building blocks of this research ecosystem.
Our research centres, working at the intersection of discovery science and engineering, are shaping solutions to the biggest challenges of our world.
We currently employ 270 researchers, 115 of whom are Emiratis, we have over 30 products in the fourth stage of trial, and more than 70 university and industry partnerships around the world. Importantly, we have also published nearly 200 scientific papers from across our centres.
The UAE leadership is committed to its efforts to shape a knowledge-based economy and bring together the intellectual community to facilitate this effort. Initiatives and entities such as Hub 71, the Mohammed Bin Zayed University for Artificial Intelligence, Khalifa University of Science and Technology reflect this well-directed focus.
At TII, we collaborate with industry and academia as well as other stakeholders to advance tech research and build crucial IP for the country.
Is the business world doing enough to counter the rising threat of cyberattacks?
As more physical systems get integrated into the digital world and more digital edge devices connect to the cloud, security vulnerabilities will continue to increase.
Digital technology leaders estimate a 46 percent increase in attacks on smart homes, enterprises, and control systems connected to critical infrastructure as the global cyber threat landscape alters during the coronavirus pandemic.
The MENA region’s end-user spending on security and risk management will grow 11.2 percent in 2022, according to recent Gartner forecast.
In 2022, end-user spending is forecast to increase in all segments of information security and risk management. Cloud security is forecast to record the highest growth at 33.8 percent, followed by data security, growing 21.9 percent.
Gartner also predicted that deploying agile security solutions to adjust to changing threats is the best way forward. The world’s leading advisory and research company also predicted that by the end of 2023, more than 50 percent of enterprises will have replaced older antivirus products with combined endpoint protection platforms (EPP) and endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions.
Global cyber crime costs are expected to surge by nearly 15 percent on a yearly basis over the next four years to reach $10.5 trillion annually by 2025, up from $3 trillion in 2015, according to the California researcher Cybersecurity Ventures.
How is the UAE preparing to nurture the next generation of scientists and innovators?
The UAE is well on track in its efforts to build an advanced R&D ecosystem – the most important ingredient for which is human capital.
We attract global subject matter experts to our research centres in Abu Dhabi by enabling them to pursue their transformative research in a vibrant, free and safe environment, backed by bureaucracy-free funding. We also bring exceptional UAE national STEM talent into the fold.
In the short duration since TII was launched, we have brought on board 270 researchers, of which 115 are Emiratis that were enrolled through our NexTech Programme to accelerate UAE nationals into STEM-focused R&D.
This is a true win-win – giving the young national students a chance to collaborate with the experts in the field while also pursuing their dreams – completing postgraduate and doctoral programmes in international universities. They come back to TII after they complete their degrees to ensure knowledge transfer that fuels our projects.
Have you seen the conversation regarding technology and innovation change over the past year as the world looks to exit the Covid-19 pandemic?
The narrative is certainly changing. Technology disrupts every few months, so I would not only ascribe the changing environment to the end of Covid-19.
What we are able to do with technology as we expand the scope of our activities is also evolving at speed.
The new research centres in propulsion, biotechnology, and alternative energy are all priority national sectors in addition to being on global agendas. We will foray into new fields as the need arises.
What would you say your personal management style is?
I believe in selecting the best people for the job and giving them the freedom to be their best. Integrity is also a crucial element.
Our organisation of high-functioning teams that optimises their skillsets and capabilities will make wonderful things happen.