ABU DHABI - The Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council (QCC) issued the Abu Dhabi Technology Readiness Guide, a first-of-its-kind in the region, with the aim of supporting innovation and entrepreneurship in the emirate by enabling adoption of new transformative technology in highly feasible business projects.

The Guide, issued after approval from the Council’s Permanent Technical Committee for Abu Dhabi Technical Standards, is based on comprehensive studies on global best international standards that will provide a unified measure on the level of technology readiness and maturity in Abu Dhabi.

The Guide was issued at the request of the Abu Dhabi Competitiveness Office of the Department of Economic Development - Abu Dhabi, following an agreement by the working group headed by Abu Dhabi Economy, and members from a number of entities, including the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), Emirates International Aluminum Corporation, UAE University, Department of Municipalities and Transport, Department of Education and Knowledge, Department of Culture and Tourism, Department of Health, Abu Dhabi Centre for Public Health, Department of Energy, Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, and the Abu Dhabi Environment Agency.

The Guide aims to develop a unified measure on the level of maturity and readiness of technology in Abu Dhabi, from different concepts prevalent on the subject, which will in turn lead to creating a reference to various international standards. It will also provide unified and reliable criteria for assessing the readiness of any new technology, contributing to assisting investors, government agencies, research and development centers, innovation incubators and stakeholders to make informed decisions on its adoption as an effective tool in risk assessment related to technology development.

As a unified specialised reference, the Guide will support enabling innovation in Abu Dhabi by providing the necessary tools and guidance to both innovators and investors alike to better identify stages of technology under development and take appropriate decisions.

Badr Khamis Al-Shamili, Executive Director of the Conformity and Standardisation Services Sector at the Council, said that the issuance of the Guide was in line with the Abu Dhabi Government’s directions to focus on economic sectors that depend on knowledge and innovation, paving the way for relevant authorities across different sectors to deploy technology suitably, and in the light of readiness and maturity for the purpose and need of the services in Abu Dhabi.