Sandooq Al Watan launches UAE’s 1st national research-support platform

Sandooq Al Watan, a national initiative launched by prominent Emirati businessmen to support research projects for the post-oil era, has launched Researcher.ae as the UAE’s first national research-support platform.

Under the theme, 'You Explore, We Support', the platform is part of Sandooq Al Watan’s 'Our Future' initiative, which seeks to establish globally competitive, home-grown Emirati companies. Researcher.ae is an ideal portal to connect researchers with investors, it also establishes solid communication channels between local and international research organisations to keep the former up to date with the latest breakthroughs.

The initiative resonates with the development plan for higher education, recently unveiled by the Ministry of Education, which looks to provide support for research and researchers. The platform promotes innovation and creativity, in addition to motivating and empowering local talents to get involved in research.

"Supporting applied research is a core tenet of Sandooq Al Watan’s mission and strategy, which reflect the national push towards sustainable development," said Mohamed Al Qadhi, General-Manager of Sandooq Al Watan. "The key objective behind Researcher.ae is to support researchers and enrich their knowledge by fostering a greater exchange of expertise with a global network of research institutes. We are looking to catalyse unprecedented innovative ideas, upon which the UAE’s ambitious future projects can be built, and, ultimately, to secure the UAE’s global competitiveness."

The portal seeks to support research and development across all sectors, including aviation and space travel, water management and genomics, among others, to come up with innovative solutions, patents or prototypes that can create the next generation of highly competitive UAE companies to rival international giants like Google, Tesla and others.

Sandooq Al Watan launched its 'Our Future' initiative to help build a sustainable knowledge economy for future generations, provide support for bold ideas and transform them into concrete projects that can compete on a global level. This while the Sandooq Al Watan 2020 strategy focuses on four key areas, supporting talent, providing career guidance for talented young nationals, encouraging SMEs that wield positive social impact and supporting applied research and innovation.