Abu Dhabi University to launch new student-centered Technical Innovation Centre

In a bid to encourage and foster technical innovations, Abu Dhabi University is set to a launch a new student-centered Technical Innovation Centre during the upcoming academic year 2015 -2016, aligning its mission with the UAE’s initiative to dub 2015 as the “Year of Innovation”. The Centre is set to house an encouraging environment for entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, providing students from various disciplines with the support, equipment and resources they need to transform their technical ideas from mere concept to actual inventions, thereby participating in the nation’s development process.

Commenting on the importance of this initiative, Dr. Aly Nazmy Dean of ADU’s College of Engineering explained that it reflects the University’s strategy in building an integrated system through its colleges, programs and research centers that supports and encourages a culture of innovation and creativity. “Abu Dhabi University has always been keen on playing a positive role in the UAE’s transformation into a knowledge-based society which is an integral part of the policy agenda of Abu Dhabi’s Government and its Economic Vision 2030. The focus of the design and implementation of this new center is to offer students of various majors a platform that encourages them to utilize their creative and critical thinking skills and work with their colleagues across majors to transform their ideas into reality. The University is also set to invest in the center’s budget, part of which has already been dedicated from the AED 1 Million award that was awarded to four students from the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department during the UAE’s 2nd ‘Best m-Government Service Awards’, added Dr. Nazmy.

On his part, Dr. Mohammed Ghazal Assistant Professor and Chair of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at ADU asserted that once established, the new Innovation Centre would be a hub for technical innovations giving students a unique opportunity to transform their ideas into reality. “Whether these ideas are inspired by class projects, or part of their course work, or even their own inventions. The Centre is designed to enhance and encourage creative thinking in a comfortable and collaborative setting, and will not be exclusive to engineering students. We’re hoping that it inspires students from all backgrounds to think outside the proverbial box, and dream of developing new innovations that can benefit the community.  Especially since many of Abu Dhabi University’s students have already proven their creative prowess winning many prestigious awards along the way, and perhaps the most prominent one is the ‘Special Innovation Award’ of AED 1 Million for the ‘Al Najdah App’, said Dr. Ghazal.