Funds boost for research in ICT projects

DUBAI // A fund set up to promote information and communications technology research will consider 15 projects for financing over the coming year.

Most projects are being developed at universities across the country and include next generation wireless, optical fibre, networking and satellite communications.

The aim, according to Dr Eesa Bastaki, the chief executive of the Dubai-based ICT Fund, is to develop products that can be patented and later become a commercial success.

"The vision is for the UAE to achieve a leadership role worldwide in terms of ICT," he said recently. "The plan is for us to have a sustainable lifestyle for the future."

For public institutions, the fund will provide up to 75 per cent of financing. For companies it will cover up to half the budget.

It has so far funded 75 per cent of the Ankabut network at Khalifa University in the capital, a high-speed connection intended to help academics share large amounts of data.

Dr Bastaki said earlier this year that there was Dh22 million available to cover project funding. However, in a recent interview he said the figure was flexible. "It depends on how many proposals we receive," he said. "For now, it's open. But as we go on, I want to funnel it so it's what we need and what will help the UAE become a knowledge-based economy."