HCT, Tawazun & Mubadala Sign Agreement to Support Student Research Projects related to Innovation and Engineering Solutions

The Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), Tawazun Economic Council and Mubadala Investment Company signed a Collaboration Agreement to support innovative student research projects and ideas that offer advanced engineering solutions to challenges and meet the needs of Tawazun and Mubadala in engineering areas and cutting-edge industries.

This collaboration will continue over the next five years, at a cost of 36 million dirhams, jointly funded by the three partners. The signing ceremony was held on the sidelines of the Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit 2021 at Expo 2020 Dubai.

The agreement was signed by Professor Abdullatif AlShamsi, President & CEO of the Higher Colleges of Technology, Mr. Matar Ali Al Romaithi, Chief Economic Development Officer of Tawazun Economic Council and Mr. Badr AI-Olama, Executive Director of Aerospace Holding Company LLC, a subsidiary of Mubadala Investment Company, in the presence of a number of officials from the signing parties.

This collaboration is in line with the developments taking place in the UAE’s engineering and technology sectors, aiming to help create and develop advanced engineering, technology development and innovation services. These objectives are to be achieved through developing innovative engineering solutions, utilizing advanced technologies, which will address a range of identified manufacturing challenges; creating a technology-astute Emirati workforce by engaging UAE National engineers and university students in practical projects; and creating efficient and synergetic utilization of resources across various industries, leveraging common challenges and mutually-beneficial solutions.

Professor Abdullatif AlShamsi, HCT President & CEO, praised the collaboration between the three parties on innovation and engineering solutions and with an aim to guide students' efforts and technological and engineering skills towards finding innovative solutions to the challenges of the labour and manufacturing sectors, serving the interests of the cooperating partners and in accordance with their needs. He noted that this would promote students’ awareness of these large institutions and the nature of their work and scope, and contributing to the development of their services based on the students’ research and innovation capacities and applied projects.

Professor AlShamsi said this agreement is consistent with HCT’s strategies based on applied education and professional skills to empower students to develop and implement applied research projects that offer innovative solutions to the challenges facing various business sectors. He noted that the collaboration also aims to direct students to develop and transform their projects into startups through the HCT InnCuVation Spaces, as the colleges seek to build a generation that has the future skills and can play an active role in the labour market as productive professionals, innovators and leaders in their fields.

Under the agreement, the parties will form a Program Management Board (PMB) to oversee the Innovation and Engineering Solution project. The PMB shall use all reasonable endeavors to approve student projects that will be adopted and completed during the agreement's five-year term.