Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council has recruited dozens of Emirati students as part of a major drive to harness local talent.
The ATRC has filled 45 of 125 available slots for promising UAE citizens under its nationalisation programme, dubbed NexTech, to encourage youth to explore careers in advanced technology.
The council is building partnerships with universities and identifying key research projects to advance the capital's goal of becoming a hub for innovation in next-generation technology such as autonomous systems and quantum computing.
Thirty universities have signed co-research and co-funding agreements with ATRC spanning three to five years across 32 research projects.
“This is a paramount piece of moving to a knowledge-based economy,” said Faisal Al Bannai, the secretary general of ATRC, at a press briefing on Tuesday where he outlined the council’s aims.
"By creating NexTech, we are taking decisive steps to develop our knowledge-based economy at an accelerated pace."
In May, President Sheikh Khalifa announced the creation of the ATRC to strengthen Abu Dhabi’s position as a global research and development hub. Since then, the council has been working to establish its remit.
NextGen candidates are being identified in partnership with the Ministry of Education, the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK), and local universities to begin building a bigger pipeline of the next generation of knowledge-based workers.
"We are not doing research for the sake of research, we are doing research to solve practical challenges clients have,” Mr Al Bannai, who is also the chief executive of defence conglomerate EDGE, said.
The council is focused on ensuring funds are channelled efficiently, so that research challenges and new technologies have a clear route to market, he added.
“The initial 32 research projects that are signed off are clearly mapped to a client, based on a statement of need or opportunity to translate that research into an industrial product."
While Mr Al Bannai declined to outline specifics of the projects or the level of funding, which he said would be made public in the coming weeks, he said they addressed challenges in quantum computing and new methods of navigation using quantum sensors; national security related to cloud computing and encryption; and new methods of autonomous way-finding and sea robotics.
The aim is for the UAE to be an exporter of technology and intellectual property in these domains.
“There will be a before and after with quantum computing and autonomous capabilities, and we [the UAE] need to be sure we are part of that future,” he said.
Mr Al Bannai said the council is guided by three objectives: championing research to strengthen Abu Dhabi's position in global rankings, nurturing talent to become a desired home for advanced technology and driving innovation to help the UAE become an exporter of technology products.
The council has seven research priorities to fulfill these aims including autonomy and robotics, advanced materials and quantum computing.
Mr Al Bannai emphasised that while the NextGen programme would recruit Emirati nationals, the aim is for ATRC to foster global co-operation.
“East, west, north south will find a home in Abu Dhabi," he said. "This will be a melting pot of nationals and diversified talent.”
The biog
Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives.
The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast.
As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau
He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker.
If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah
Green ambitions
- Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
- Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
- Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
- Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water
The five pillars of Islam
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
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