UAEU Chancellor Zaki Nusseibeh Address in Recognition of Faculty and Researchers with Patents Granted in 2022

Al Ain, 19th June 2023

Acting Vice Chancellor and Provost, Associate Provost for Research, faculty members, inventors, and colleagues.

Colleagues! It is my great pleasure to meet with you today. We are gathered here to congratulate our faculty and researchers who have earned the distinction of being granted a patent by the United States Patents and Trademark Office during 2022. 

The United Arab Emirates is transforming into a land of discovery, innovation, and creativity. It is home attractive to inventors, skilled talent, and distinguished scholars from around the globe. 

According to the Global Innovation Index for 2022 the UAE is ranked in 31st place. Amongst the Arab nations it has enjoyed the premier ranking for seven consecutive years.

These rankings demonstrate that the UAE makes a significant contribution to global creativity, discovery, and invention. The remarkable knowledge and technologies we disseminate are recognized worldwide. 

A wonderful example of this is the UAE Space Agency. Its successful initiatives include the Space Science Research Centre at UAEU, the Emirates Mars Mission, the Emirates Lunar Mission, a Graduate degree program in Advanced Space Science, Space tourism, and the recent Emirates Asteroid Belt Mission. 

The Centennial plan 2071 places a priority on the development of science and technology, space science, engineering, innovation, and the health sciences. This places academic research institutions at the heart of innovation. They must become innovation hubs.

Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology and Research Council is putting in place measures to create a vibrant research and development ecosystem. This will position the Emirate and the UAE as a competent, capable, and productive participant in the field of advanced technology. This is central to our economic diversification and the creation of a knowledge-based society.

The Government recognizes the vital role of advanced research and innovation in the sustainable prosperity of our nation. It has therefore targeted resources and developed regulations known to be essential to innovation and the retention of skilled and talented persons. 

The UAEU carries a major responsibility within this context, and your research and innovation are essential to this framework. Your success in receiving patents for your work is therefore of great significance. 

As I look through the list of patents I am greatly impressed. Two things stand out. First, the focus on modern technological application of aspects of our traditional heritage: for example, dates and camel milk. Second, the number of patents that are pertinent to the sustainable environmental development of our planet. For example, thermal insulation, biotechnology, alternative energies, recycling of waste products, and the use of organic materials in industrial production. These two patterns give UAEU’s patents a distinctive identity, one that can be tied to the context and goals of the UAE.

In 2021, UAEU was ranked in 90th place globally and first in the country for the number of patents granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. In September 2022, UAEU launched the Patents’ Accelerators Project. This will develop into a robust platform for the submission of patent applications, accelerate the filing of patents, and support the commercialization of granted patents. It will therefore form a bridge between the site of scientific production and the milieu of real-life applications, industry, and enterprise. 

UAEU’s strategic plans target the continued development of our research infrastructure and our innovation ecosystem. We have concrete objectives to grow interdisciplinary research, to build research partnerships across different sectors, to provide leadership in sustainability, and to advance technological development. This should ensure the outcomes of your future work on discovery and innovation will have recognizable impact. 

I am deeply grateful to you for your contribution to UAEU’s mission. I recognize you as leaders who serve as a role model to others. I now encourage you in your efforts to extend the value of your patents – through analytical and experimental proof-of-concept, through laboratory and practical validation, and product testing in an operational environment. Your next step is the commercialization of your inventions.

I offer you my deepest congratulations once more and I look forward to learning about your future successes.