Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi with Sheraa team. She was briefed on Sheraa’s Q1 achievements in 2023.

Staff Reporter, Gulf Today

During a recent visit, Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, President of the American University of Sharjah (AUS), and Chairperson of Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa), was briefed on Sheraa’s Q1 achievements in 2023, and also explored the latest developments to boost innovation and research at the Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation Park (SRTIP), an affiliate of AUS.

Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi met with Najla Al Midfa, CEO of Sheraa, during which she approved the organisational plans and strategies that will be executed by Sheraa this year to strengthen Sharjah’s start-up ecosystem for upcoming founders and changemakers. Following the meeting with Sheraa, Sheikha Bodour also met Hussain Al Mahmoudi, CEO of SRTIP, to learn about the free zone’s future plans to boost its position as one of the region’s leading hubs for research and innovation.

Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi appraised Sheraa’s vision of serving as a catalyst for a new era of entrepreneurship that fuels the next generation of innovative leaders, and lauded the entity’s accomplishments in training and empowering founders throughout 2022, particularly through initiatives like the Access Sharjah Challenge (ASC), which has drawn significant attention from startups seeking to tap into the opportunities that Sharjah has to offer.

Al Midfa shared with Sheikha Bodour that Sheraa’s flagship event, the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival (SEF) witnessed its largest and most successful edition to date last year, attracting over 5,000 visitors, future business leaders and aspiring entrepreneurs to the two-day festival who heard from over 140 speakers and experts.

On STRIPS’s efforts, Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi remarked that Sharjah’s business environment is characterised by the complementary roles of entities that provide an advanced infrastructure that allows the integration of latest technologies to drive opportunities for scientific research and sustainable economic development.

For his part, Hussain Al Mahmoudi highlighted SRTIP’s efforts to develop innovative facilities and spaces that add to the research and scientific environment in the emirate, and boost its vital key sectors with technical solutions that further the emirate’s leading position in knowledge economy and smart cities.

The vision of the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park is to develop and manage an innovation ecosystem that encourages research and development and promotes institutional cooperation amongst industry, government and academia. SRTIP has been championing entrepreneurship and creativity at its attractive premises distinguished by world-class infrastructure and integrated services, which are driving UAE’s efforts to boost its status as an international destination in the fields of research and technology, and a hub of future-forward foreign investments.

Meanwhile, as the UAE continues to continues to make impressive strides in the global innovation index, the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park (SRTIP) is intensifying its drive to be one of the most dynamic incubation hubs in the region.

The UAE was ranked 31 globally and 1st regionally in the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2022, published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a specialized agency of the United Nations.  The report presented the latest global innovation ranking of 132 economies, relying on 81 different indicators.

The UAE’s overall rank improved by 2 positions from last year and continues to lead the Arab region for the 7th consecutive year. The UAE’s progress cements its status amongst the world’s most innovative countries, putting it ahead of countries like India (rank 40), Russia (47), Malaysia (36) and Poland (38).

Hussain Al Mahmoudi, CEO of SRTIP, said: “It’s extremely gratifying to see that the UAE’s ambitious efforts toward becoming an innovation-led economy are paying returns. Innovation is a key component part of the pillar ‘United in Knowledge’ of UAE’s Vision 2021. At SRTIP, we are on track to be one of the most vibrant hubs for innovation-driven companies. Already, we have companies that are pushing the frontiers in smart transportation, agriculture, 3D printing and other fields of emerging technologies. We are open to welcoming more entrepreneurs to our unique ecosystem as we continue our quest for solutions to modern-day problems and challenges.”

SRTIP, backed by the government, private sector companies and research capabilities of the American University of Sharjah (AUS), has been witnessing dramatic developments in recent months. Earlier this month, it put the Megalux, the Hungarian solar racing car, on public display, as part of collaboration with Hungary’s John von Neumann University (JvNU) to jointly develop the solar car.

Last October, SRTIP put on display the Lightyear 0, the world’s first long-range production-ready solar electric vehicle. The Lightyear 0 is the only solar electric car to actually start production. Being able to charge by the sun either parked or on the go, allows Lightyear 0 to run for months before ever needing a plug charge.