The Emirates Development Bank (EDB) has partnered with the Abu Dhabi Technology Development Committee (TDC) to help UAE innovators patent their ideas.
The bank will provide long-term support to TDC’s Takamul programme, which provides a foundation for inventors to develop an original idea and move it towards a commercial application.
“The Takamul programme has been running successfully with great results for the past five years, testified by the more than 110 patents filed internationally under the programme to date,” said Ahmed Saeed Al Calily, the director general of TDC.
The bank will help TDC facilitate various stages of the innovation cycle, from the generation of ideas to the practical and commercial application of these ideas into products, solutions and services. Most importantly, the Takamul programme will help to protect the intellectual property put forth by UAE individuals, academia and companies.
EDB will also provide banking solutions for inventors to help grow a one-man operation into a small business.
“The bank is also focused on establishing strategic partnerships with all local and federal entities that encourage UAE nationals to establish their own businesses,” said Rashid Mahboob, the bank’s deputy chief executive.
The deal highlights that ideas for a practical invention can crop into the mind of anyone if a proper culture of innovation can be fostered.
The government has tagged 2015 the Year of Innovation as it seeks to boost the diversification of the economy via new technologies and applications.
In line with this theme, The National’s #UAEinnovators series has already showcased a number of great ideas such as Steve Curbelo’s air-conditioning treatment solution, based on “fog technology”, driven by his efforts to alleviate his son’s chronic health problems.
And a developer team is turning household rubbish into toys, dubbed the Junkbot. Items such as CDs and DVDs are collected to provide the basics for a child to build a robot much like putting together a puzzle while relying heavily on the imagination.
Suggest your top innovator by emailing uaeinnovators@thenational.ae or tweet @thenationaluae using #UAEinnovators
lgraves@thenational.ae
Follow The National's Business section on Twitter