The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority is capitalising on its technology and data analytics capabilities as it charts its future investment opportunities. Rich-Joseph Facun / The National
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority is capitalising on its technology and data analytics capabilities as it charts its future investment opportunities. Rich-Joseph Facun / The National
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority is capitalising on its technology and data analytics capabilities as it charts its future investment opportunities. Rich-Joseph Facun / The National
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority is capitalising on its technology and data analytics capabilities as it charts its future investment opportunities. Rich-Joseph Facun / The National

Abu Dhabi Investment Authority's new research centre makes its debut with $100,000 award


Alvin R Cabral
  • English
  • Arabic

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the world's biggest sovereign wealth funds, has launched its new innovation centre, kickstarting operations with the announcement of a $100,000 research award that focuses on investment strategies.

The Adia Lab, which was first announced in October, is an independent entity that will focus on data and computational sciences, with broad research goals that are not specific to investment-related applications, Adia said in a statement on Friday, the UAE's 51st National Day.

Among the areas it will focus on are climate change, energy transition, blockchain, financial inclusion, investing, automation, cyber-security, health sciences, education, telecommunications and space.

It issued a call for papers for a study on “Adia Lab Award for Causal Research in Investments” — centred on finance and economics, with a particular focus on investment strategies — with the $100,000 prize to be divided between the authors of the top three submissions, it said.

On a broader scale, the Adia Lab is expected to play a proactive role in the development of Abu Dhabi’s digital ecosystem, in which the government has invested heavily.

“One of the key drivers at Adia Lab is our collaboration with leading academic institutions, both here in the UAE and globally, in support of the growth of Abu Dhabi as an international hub for technology and innovation,” Horst Simon, director and advisory board member of the Adia Lab, said in the statement.

Joining him on the board are Alex Pentland, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Rousseeuw Prize winner Miguel Hernan, Turing Award recipient Jack Dongarra, Edward Jung, chief technology officer at Intellectual Ventures, and Marcos Lopez de Prado and Alex Lipton, global heads of quantitative research and development at Adia.

Abu Dhabi's initiatives in an era of global digital transformation are helping the emirate position itself at the forefront of integrating advanced technologies into its economy and society.

The UAE capital already leads the Middle East in the global smart city index, ranking 28th, a 2021 report from the Institute for Management Development and the Singapore University for Technology and Design showed.

Adia — well placed to keep pace and capitalise on challenging market conditions in the past couple of years — is capitalising on its technology and data analytics capabilities as it charts its future investment opportunities.

As the narrative globally focused on rising inflation and the effects on the global economy last year, the authority sought out opportunities in regions and subregions with high potential over the long term as it continued to build its direct exposure to private markets, it said in its 2021 annual report released in October.

“Longer term, there are a number of other important themes that will profoundly reshape the investing landscape over time," Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed, managing director of Adia, said at the time.

"These include the rise of data-driven investing, which is providing new ways of identifying opportunities for outperformance, while also reducing the time available to capitalise on them."

Abu Dhabi's push has led to an influx of investments from global technology companies, including for boosting cloud services, data centres, artificial intelligence, smart cities and R&D collaborations, among several others.

Alongside the launch of the Adia Lab are partnerships with local and international academic institutions, which will conduct joint research, academic programmes, internship opportunities and publications, among others.

Our doors are open, and now we’re excited to explore new collaborations and play a role in Abu Dhabi’s growing and vibrant ecosystem
Horst Simon,
director and advisory board member, Adia Lab

The organisations collaborating with the Adia Lab include Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, New York University Abu Dhabi, University of Toronto Canada, and Institut Louis Bachelier France.

These partnerships are expected to be expanded "in the coming weeks", Mr Simon said.

The Adia Lab will encourage multi-disciplinary collaboration and aims to provide solutions for large-scale and complex problems through a "team science approach", Mr Simon said.

“To accomplish these goals, we seek far-reaching collaborations with academic institutions, industry, and international partners and scientists. Our doors are open, and now we’re excited to explore new collaborations and play a role in Abu Dhabi’s growing and vibrant ecosystem.”

If you go

The flights

The closest international airport for those travelling from the UAE is Denver, Colorado. British Airways (www.ba.com) flies from the UAE via London from Dh3,700 return, including taxes. From there, transfers can be arranged to the ranch or it’s a seven-hour drive. Alternatively, take an internal flight to the counties of Cody, Casper, or Billings

The stay

Red Reflet offers a series of packages, with prices varying depending on season. All meals and activities are included, with prices starting from US$2,218 (Dh7,150) per person for a minimum stay of three nights, including taxes. For more information, visit red-reflet-ranch.net.

 

Sheer grandeur

The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.

A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.

Dhadak 2

Director: Shazia Iqbal

Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri 

Rating: 1/5

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Brief scoreline:

Manchester United 2

Rashford 28', Martial 72'

Watford 1

Doucoure 90'

The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

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ANDROID%20VERSION%20NAMES%2C%20IN%20ORDER
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989

Director: Goran Hugo Olsson

Rating: 5/5

Aayan%E2%80%99s%20records
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EYoungest%20UAE%20men%E2%80%99s%20cricketer%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EWhen%20he%20debuted%20against%20Bangladesh%20aged%2016%20years%20and%20314%20days%2C%20he%20became%20the%20youngest%20ever%20to%20play%20for%20the%20men%E2%80%99s%20senior%20team.%20He%20broke%20the%20record%20set%20by%20his%20World%20Cup%20squad-mate%2C%20Alishan%20Sharafu%2C%20of%2017%20years%20and%2044%20days.%3Cbr%3E%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EYoungest%20wicket-taker%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EAfter%20taking%20the%20wicket%20of%20Bangladesh%E2%80%99s%20Litton%20Das%20on%20debut%20in%20Dubai%2C%20Aayan%20became%20the%20youngest%20male%20cricketer%20to%20take%20a%20wicket%20against%20a%20Full%20Member%20nation%20in%20a%20T20%20international.%3Cbr%3E%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EYoungest%20in%20T20%20World%20Cup%20history%3F%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EAayan%20does%20not%20turn%2017%20until%20November%2015%20%E2%80%93%20which%20is%20two%20days%20after%20the%20T20%20World%20Cup%20final%20at%20the%20MCG.%20If%20he%20does%20play%20in%20the%20competition%2C%20he%20will%20be%20its%20youngest%20ever%20player.%20Pakistan%E2%80%99s%20Mohammed%20Amir%2C%20who%20was%2017%20years%20and%2055%20days%20when%20he%20played%20in%202009%2C%20currently%20holds%20the%20record.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO

CAF Champions League semi-finals first-leg fixtures

Tuesday:

Primeiro Agosto (ANG) v Esperance (TUN) (8pm UAE)
Al Ahly (EGY) v Entente Setif (ALG) (11PM)

Second legs:

October 23

Like a Fading Shadow

Antonio Muñoz Molina

Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez

Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)

THE BIO

Favourite author - Paulo Coelho 

Favourite holiday destination - Cuba 

New York Times or Jordan Times? NYT is a school and JT was my practice field

Role model - My Grandfather 

Dream interviewee - Che Guevara

The Saudi Cup race card

1 The Jockey Club Local Handicap (TB) 1,800m (Dirt) $500,000

2 The Riyadh Dirt Sprint (TB) 1,200m (D) $1.500,000

3 The 1351 Turf Sprint 1,351m (Turf) $1,000,000

4 The Saudi Derby (TB) 1600m (D) $800,000

5 The Neom Turf Cup (TB) 2,100m (T) $1,000,000

6 The Obaiya Arabian Classic (PB) 2,000m (D) $1,900,000

7 The Red Sea Turf Handicap (TB) 3,000m (T) $2,500,000

8 The Saudi Cup (TB) 1,800m (D) $20,000,000

POSSIBLE ENGLAND EURO 2020 SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope, Dean Henderson.
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kieran Trippier, Joe Gomez, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Tyrone Mings, Ben Chilwell, Fabian Delph.
Midfielders: Declan Rice, Harry Winks, Jordan Henderson, Ross Barkley, Mason Mount, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Forwards: Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Tammy Abraham, Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20myZoi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Syed%20Ali%2C%20Christian%20Buchholz%2C%20Shanawaz%20Rouf%2C%20Arsalan%20Siddiqui%2C%20Nabid%20Hassan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2037%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Initial%20undisclosed%20funding%20from%20SC%20Ventures%3B%20second%20round%20of%20funding%20totalling%20%2414%20million%20from%20a%20consortium%20of%20SBI%2C%20a%20Japanese%20VC%20firm%2C%20and%20SC%20Venture%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
If you go

Flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh with a stop in Yangon from Dh3,075, and Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Phnom Penh with its partner Bangkok Airlines from Dh2,763. These trips take about nine hours each and both include taxes. From there, a road transfer takes at least four hours; airlines including KC Airlines (www.kcairlines.com) offer quick connecting flights from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville from about $100 (Dh367) return including taxes. Air Asia, Malindo Air and Malaysian Airlines fly direct from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanoukville from $54 each way. Next year, direct flights are due to launch between Bangkok and Sihanoukville, which will cut the journey time by a third.

The stay

Rooms at Alila Villas Koh Russey (www.alilahotels.com/ kohrussey) cost from $385 per night including taxes.

Company%C2%A0profile
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Book%20Details
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The biog

Favourite film: The Notebook  

Favourite book: What I know for sure by Oprah Winfrey

Favourite quote: “Social equality is the only basis of human happiness” Nelson Madela.           Hometown: Emmen, The Netherlands

Favourite activities: Walking on the beach, eating at restaurants and spending time with friends

Job: Founder and Managing Director of Mawaheb from Beautiful Peopl

The Penguin

Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz

Creator: Lauren LeFranc

Rating: 4/5

Timeline

2012-2015

The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East

May 2017

The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts

September 2021

Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act

October 2021

Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence 

December 2024

Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group

May 2025

The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan

July 2025

The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan

August 2025

Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision

October 2025

Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange

November 2025

180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE

The specs: 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk


Price, base: Dh399,999
Engine: Supercharged 6.2-litre V8
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 707hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 875Nm @ 4,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 16.8L / 100km (estimate)

Updated: December 02, 2022, 5:43 PM