SRTI Park hosts 3rd Innovation Technology Transfer Forum

Against the backdrop of the UAE achieving the 32nd ranking on the Global Innovation Index, the 3rd Innovation Technology Transfer Forum at the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation (SRTI) Park, highlighted some key trends in innovation technology transfer.
Over 20 leading experts and leaders – including Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, and Sheikha Nabila Al Sabah, Head of IBTIKAR Initiative, Al Saad Foundation, Kuwait – shared insights into what needs to be done to accelerate the pace of innovation technology transfer and sustainability.

Apart from panels on innovation and investment opportunities, the event also featured the Sharjah Advanced Industry Accelerator (SAIA) 4th Edition Demo Day Finale — which hosted ground-breaking startups from all over the world presenting cutting-edge technologies and solutions for the benefit of investors to explore potential investment prospects – as well as a dynamic Startup Expo that showcased some outstanding innovations at the SRTI Park.

The Forum took place against the recent release of the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2023 by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), which rated the UAE as the most innovative country in the MENA region. At the global level, the UAE was ranked 32nd among the 132 economies in the index which ranks world economies according to their innovation capabilities.
Delivering the welcome address, Hussain Al Mahmoudi, CEO of the SRTI Park, stressed the relevance of the Forum which is being beheld at a time when the UAE has been hailed as the region’s innovation hub in the prestigious Global Innovation Index; celebrating 51 years of progress and hosting the all-important COP28.

Mahmoudi said: “Today’s gathering is very critical for us because of these factors. Over the next two weeks there will be a lot of knowledge sharing, sharing of best practices, exploring new business opportunities and building collaboration partnerships. Here at the SRTI Park, we represent the beating heart of innovation, with some ground-breaking innovations by our startups.

“The goal of the Innovation Technology Transfer Forum has always been to work with our stakeholders, to cement and to develop collaboration between academia, private sector and government and non-governmental organisations. But we still believe we have a long way to go as the innovator on a global scale. Forums like these give us an opportunity for us to see how we can push the envelope and achieve new heights of innovation excellence. Our speakers include experts from the academic sector, as well from the private sector that are involved in intellectual property and the commercialization of technology.”

The panel discussions tackled topics like the Role of Educational Institutions in Technology Transfer, the for synergizing Government Policy and Technology Innovation, importance of Intellectual Property in ensuring technology transfer success and Development and Monetization of Innovation Technology Projects.

The opening panel was on “The Role of Educational Institutions in Technology Transfer” with participation by Dr. Tod A. Laursen, Chancellor American University of Sharjah (AUS), and Prof. Maamar Bettayeb, Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Studies at Sharjah University, moderated by Mr. Hussain Al Mahmoudi, CEO of the SRTI Park.
Dr. Tod Laursen hailed the progress made by UAE universities in building the infrastructure and said that now is the time to transform the culture amongst our faculty and our students. He emphasised that the local universities should now focus on producing graduates with an entrepreneurial spirit.

Prof. Maamar Bettayeb said most universities in the UAE started as teaching universities. Over the last decade many of them became more research oriented and are now converging towards quality research. He said the spirit of initiative, innovation and entrepreneurship now needs to be consolidated.

A panel on “Strategic Initiatives in Technology Advancements: Synergy of Government Policy and Technology Innovation” featured the following speakers. Dr. Rodrigo Basco, Professor Sheikh Saoud bin Khalid bin Khalid Al-Qassimi Chair in Family Business at American University of Sharjah (AUS), Khalid Alhosni, CEO, Chief AI/Data Scientist Pilot, KA Consultants, Basil Moftah, Partner at Nclude, Ramshankar C.S., Co-founder and CEO at Maxbyte.

Participants in the panel on “Maximising Intellectual Property’s Power in Driving Technology Transfer Success” included Dr. Mohamed Al Hemairy – Head of Tech Transfer and IP Office, University of Sharjah; Ahmed Saleh -Partner, Head of Innovation, Patents Industrial Property (3IP), Al Tamimi Company; Dr. Tarek Hajjiri – Former Commissioner of Intellectual Property (IP), DIFC and Suraya Turk – Managing Partner, Legal Circle.

A panel on “Development and Monetization of Innovation Technology Projects” was addressed by Dr Vinaytosh Mishra Director Thumbay Institute for AI in Healthcare, Gulf Medical University; Dr Nihel Chabrak, Co-Founder AirImpact; Dr Atta Ur Rehman , Associate Professor at College of Engineering and Information Technology, Ajman University; and Dr Vaibhav Sharma Leading Technology Transfer Unit at American University of Sharjah (AUS).