Khalifa University Wins Award for Highest Number of Filed Patents in UAE, as EBTIC Wins ‘Most Inventive Innovation Center’ Award

Khalifa University of Science and Technology has once again validated its status as a pioneering research-intensive higher education institution, driving innovation in new technologies, when the university won two top recognitions at the Abu Dhabi Awards for Intellectual Property.

Khalifa University was presented with the ‘Top University with Filed Patents’ award that was received by Dr Steve Griffiths, Senior Vice-President, Research and Development, Khalifa University. Moreover, Khalifa University’s Emirates ICT Innovation Center (EBTIC) sponsored by the UAE Telecom Regulatory Authority’s ICT Fund, received the ‘Most Inventive Innovation Center’ award that was received by Dr Nawaf I. Almoosa, Acting Director, EBTIC and Assistant Professor, Khalifa University. The awards were presented during the Technology Innovation Pioneers (TIP) 2020 Summit organized by the Department of Economic Development - Abu Dhabi in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy.

Khalifa University currently has a total of 167 issued patents, which is considered the highest number among universities in the UAE. The University has also 228 filed patent applications, resulting from 417 invention disclosures. EBTIC, a Khalifa University research and innovation center focused on systems and technologies for the Next Generation Networks (NGNs) and NGN-enabled ICT applications and services, was awarded in recognition of its leadership in IP generation, specifically the volume and quality of patents and its contribution to the UAE’s status in innovation globally. EBTIC alone currently has 40 issued patents with over 60 pending patent applications.

Dr Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Executive Vice-President, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, said: “The two awards – ‘Top University with Filed Patents’ and the ‘Most Inventive Research Center’ for our research center EBTIC – place us among the top league of well-established universities that contribute to creating intellectual capital. Our research thrust in the UAE’s strategic sectors, world-class faculty experts, and cutting-edge laboratory facilities have together helped us to achieve these recognitions. We believe these awards will further strengthen our resolve to consistently contribute not only to the creation of IP but also in capacity building, thus facilitating the country’s knowledge-economy transformation.”

At the TIP 2020 Summit, Dr Steve Griffiths joined a panel of experts to share his perspectives on ‘The Next Big Thing: DeepTech’ and MENA’s Cleantech start-ups: Growing the ecosystem to solve environmental challenges’. Dr. Nawaf Al Moosa offered his views on ‘IP from Ideation to Implementation’, while Dr. Daniel Choi, Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering, spoke about ‘How Universities Can Support Innovation’.

Currently, Khalifa University has 19 research centers and 228 laboratories housing state-of-the-art equipment to investigate a broad range of science and engineering subjects.

The research-intensive university’s focus sectors include clean and renewable energy, hydrocarbon exploration and production, water and environment, health, aerospace, and supply chain and logistics. Research in these sectors is enhanced by the research platforms of robotics, AI and data science, information and communication technologies, advanced materials and manufacturing.