A start-up that produced a light-emitting device to help fishermen attract the right catch was among this year's winners of the UAE’s inaugural FoodTech Challenge.
UK company SafetyNet Technologies was awarded $100,000 to help further its mission to create more precision fishing around the world.
The enterprise was among four winners of the 2020 challenge and received a share of the $1 million prize pool.
Each team was awarded $100,000 in cash and are now eligible to enter the Abu Dhabi Catalyst Accelerator Programme, which provides up to $150,000 in seed funding and support.
Our first precision fishing product is a light that attaches to fishing nets
“The UAE is one of the highest fish-consuming countries in the world, eating over double the global average at 33 kilograms per capita,” said Aran Dasan, co-founder of SafetyNet Technologies.
“Against the backdrop of increasing fish consumption, the fishing process is wasteful.
“One in 10 fish that are caught are undesirable species and thus disregarded.
“Our first precision fishing product is a light that attaches to fishing nets.
“Depending on the colour of the light that it emits, it can attract or repel different species of fish to the fishing net.”
Sustainable food production in the Emirates has been a major focus over recent years as the country seeks to reduce its reliance on imports.
The FoodTech Challenge was launched in September last year by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the UAE Food and Water Security Office and Tamkeen, an Abu Dhabi company supporting the UAE's development of a knowledge-based economy.
A total of 437 teams, including 71 student-led groups, put their projects forward in the hope of winning the 2020 edition of the prize.
A jury whittled down that number to a shortlist of 12 before the winning four were announced on Wednesday.
The winning projects were spread across different categories including water, nutrition and food logistics.
Mariam Al Mheiri, Minister of State for Food Security, said the FoodTech Challenge was a catalyst to help the UAE achieve the targets of the National Food Security Strategy.
“The UAE is a water-scarce country which has less than 5 per cent arable land,” she said.
“By 2021 we want to increase our local food production by 15 per cent on certain food items and increase yield improvement by 30 per cent
“The competition was activated towards this transition.
“It kick-started the global community in helping us explore and find new ideas that are sustainable and have technology at its base to solve food security issues.”
Ms Al Mheiri said the 12 finalists stood out because of the innovative qualities of their projects and “their ability to set up and scale up in the UAE”.
On Wednesday, organisers also heard how one winning project hopes to bring algae-based foods to the UAE.
Has Algae, from Australia, uses salt water to produce algae-based superfood products rich in omega 3 and protein.
The team said it could help tackle the problem of trying to feed a nutritious diet to a growing population.
Congratulating the winners, Rima Al Mokarrab, chairwoman of Tamkeen, said they put forward solutions to tackle some of the world’s greatest challenges from food production to logistics and food waste.
"I am delighted that the FoodTech Challenge has generated such compelling entrants, and its winners are set to help drive the UAE’s food security and sustainability for years to come,” she said.
Meet the winners
Who SafetyNet Technologies
Category Light energy
What is it A state-of-the-art light-emitting solution to enable fisherman to catch more sustainably
Where UK
One in 10 fish that are caught are undesirable species and thus disregarded. The fishing industry is lacking tools to responsibly meet global demand. SafetyNet Technologies' solution is a toolkit for fishermen to create precision fishing.
The team’s first product is Pisces – a set of underwater lights that fit to a fishing net and aims to reduce the bycatch of unwanted species.
Depending on the light emitted from the tool, it can attract or deter fish from entering the net. They said their main aim is to save more fish, help fishermen, and protect an increasingly essential food source now and for the future.
“The win has come at a great time given the pandemic," said Nadia Laabs, co-founder and chief operating officer for SafetyNet Technologies.
"We were supposed to do a Pisces product launch in March, but it was postponed. We will use the money to carry out more demos and trials to fishermen around the world, either in person or virtually.”
Who Has Algae
Category Food nutrition
What is it An algae-based superfood that is rich in omega-3 and protein
Where Australia
The team said one of the biggest problems of today’s generation is how to feed a growing population a nutritious diet while facing a shortage of arable land, fresh water supply and climate change.
To tackle the issue it developed microalgae as food. Microalgae’s crop is extremely productive and matches all our nutritional needs.
Best of all it can be grown in a desert with just salt water. In one hectare of land the team said it can produce at least 50 tonnes of dry algae biomass a year.
In terms of protein productivity, that is 72 times more productive than soybean. Water use efficiency is also very high and can make use of lower quality water like brackish or sea water, which cannot be used to grow any other crops.
“Currently we sell raw algae powder but we are looking to develop a seafood substitute into a market-ready product. The money will help us develop something like a plant-based shrimp,” said Brendan Fu, co-founder and chief financial officer for Has Algae.
Who Red Sea Farms
Category Water
What is it Innovative greenhouse solution that uses salt water for irrigation to grow food
Where Saudi Arabia
Mark Tester, co-founder of Red Sea Farms, said the food on our plate consumes two thirds of fresh water produced in the world. That number rises when it comes to the Middle East.
To make a significant contribution to saving and protecting water resources, there is a real need to reduce freshwater use for food production. Red Sea Farms uses saltwater and sunlight to grow food.
Their Saltwater Greenhouse Systems use climate control and cooling technologies powered by salt water liquid desiccants and Artificial Intelligence enabled smart systems. It currently has two greenhouses in operation in Saudi. The company introduced its cherry tomatoes to the market in February, which have a higher concentration of vitamin C and longer shelf life compared with those grown using fresh water.
“Currently selling into the market we have cherry tomatoes, large tomatoes, lettuce, kale, celery, hot peppers and green peppers as well as basil and mint," said Ryan Lefers, co-founder and chief executive of Red Sea Farms.
"With the prize money we want to try and target both our internal product development and look at how we can expand and scale up the business in the region.”
Who QS Monitor
Category Food import
What is it An online platform to streamline food imports into the UAE
Where UAE
Using AI and the internet of things (IoT), its system provides real-time feedback to suppliers when food is in transit. The team then captures critical data throughout the life cycle of the produce at different stages. That way suppliers can ascertain the most effective export processes to reduce waste and ensure it is being stored safely.
“The UAE is an import dependent country. Most of the food supply comes from more than 150 countries and it’s a big job to make sure what is coming in is safe and nutritious," said Burak Karapinar, managing director of QS Monitor.
"We operate in more than 50 countries but would like to scale that up and reach all 150 countries where the UAE imports from."
Mr Hawayek said the prize money will help fund the IoT integration of its system to develop an additional risk-based data analytics tool.
Results
2pm: Serve U – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (Dirt) 1,400m; Winner: Violent Justice, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)
2.30pm: Al Shafar Investment – Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,400m; Winner: Desert Wisdom, Bernardo Pinheiro, Ahmed Al Shemaili
3pm: Commercial Bank of Dubai – Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Fawaareq, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson
3.30pm: Shadwell – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
4pm: Dubai Real Estate Centre – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Rakeez, Patrick Cosgrave, Bhupat Seemar
4.30pm: Al Redha Insurance Brokers – Handicap (TB) Dh78,000 (D) 1,800m; Winner: Capla Crusader, Bernardo Pinheiro, Rashed Bouresly
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
Essentials
The flights
Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Seattle from Dh6,755 return in economy and Dh24,775 in business class.
The cruise
UnCruise Adventures offers a variety of small-ship cruises in Alaska and around the world. A 14-day Alaska’s Inside Passage and San Juans Cruise from Seattle to Juneau or reverse costs from $4,695 (Dh17,246), including accommodation, food and most activities. Trips in 2019 start in April and run until September.
F1 line ups in 2018
Mercedes-GP Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas; Ferrari Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen; Red Bull Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen; Force India Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez; Renault Nico Hülkenberg and Carlos Sainz Jr; Williams Lance Stroll and Felipe Massa / Robert Kubica / Paul di Resta; McLaren Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne; Toro Rosso TBA; Haas F1 Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen; Sauber TBA
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sav%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Purvi%20Munot%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24750%2C000%20as%20of%20March%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Angel%20investors%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
THE SCORES
Ireland 125 all out
(20 overs; Stirling 72, Mustafa 4-18)
UAE 125 for 5
(17 overs, Mustafa 39, D’Silva 29, Usman 29)
UAE won by five wickets
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Most wanted allegations
- Benjamin Macann, 32: involvement in cocaine smuggling gang.
- Jack Mayle, 30: sold drugs from a phone line called the Flavour Quest.
- Callum Halpin, 27: over the 2018 murder of a rival drug dealer.
- Asim Naveed, 29: accused of being the leader of a gang that imported cocaine.
- Calvin Parris, 32: accused of buying cocaine from Naveed and selling it on.
- John James Jones, 31: allegedly stabbed two people causing serious injuries.
- Callum Michael Allan, 23: alleged drug dealing and assaulting an emergency worker.
- Dean Garforth, 29: part of a crime gang that sold drugs and guns.
- Joshua Dillon Hendry, 30: accused of trafficking heroin and crack cocain.
- Mark Francis Roberts, 28: grievous bodily harm after a bungled attempt to steal a £60,000 watch.
- James ‘Jamie’ Stevenson, 56: for arson and over the seizure of a tonne of cocaine.
- Nana Oppong, 41: shot a man eight times in a suspected gangland reprisal attack.
'Operation Mincemeat'
Director: John Madden
Cast: Colin Firth, Matthew Macfayden, Kelly Macdonald and Penelope Wilton
Rating: 4/5
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
MATCH INFO
Norwich City 1 (Cantwell 75') Manchester United 2 (Aghalo 51' 118') After extra time.
Man of the match Harry Maguire (Manchester United)
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
Results:
2.15pm: Handicap (PA) Dh60,000 1,200m.
Winner: AZ Dhabyan, Adam McLean (jockey), Saleha Al Ghurair (trainer).
2.45pm: Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 1,200m.
Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Sam Hitchcott, Ibrahim Aseel.
3.15pm: Conditions (PA) Dh60,000 2,000m.
Winner: Hareer Al Reef, Gerald Avranche, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
3.45pm: Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 1,700m.
Winner: Kenz Al Reef, Gerald Avranche, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
4.15pm: Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup (TB) Dh 200,000 1,700m.
Winner: Mystique Moon, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.
4.45pm: The Crown Prince Of Sharjah Cup Prestige (PA) Dh200,000 1,200m.
Winner: ES Ajeeb, Sam Hitchcott, Ibrahim Aseel.
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
