Sponsored by RTX, URIC hosted a specialized Innovation Competition track to foster entrepreneurial spirit among students and bring their innovative ideas to life
UAE, Abu Dhabi, 23 May 2024: In line with its commitment to fostering innovation and critical thinking among students, Abu Dhabi University (ADU) commenced the 11th Undergraduate Research and Innovation Competition (URIC) today at the University’s main campus. The annual Competition serves as a platform for university students to showcase their research projects across 28 tracks in the fields of engineering, business, education, arts and social sciences, natural and health sciences, and innovation. 

Sponsored by RTX, URIC hosted a specialized Innovation Competition track to foster entrepreneurial spirit among students and bring their innovative ideas to life. In this track, participants submitted their pitch decks, which were reviewed by subject matter experts to assess their commercial viability and potential for establishing a successful business.

This year, the Competition received close to 600 submissions from 77 universities across more than 10 countries including the UAE, KSA, Oman, Egypt, and Kuwait as well as Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Palestine, India, North Macedonia, and the USA.

Additionally, this year URIC brought together around 800 on-campus attendees and 400 online participants, including students, judges, mentors, and VIP guests. In addition to key speakers including Fahad Al Mheiri, Managing Director of Raytheon Emirates, an RTX business, Dr. Dirk Richter, Senior Advisor, Director of Health Sector Innovation at the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), Innovator and Board-Certified Surgeon and Dr. Karim Houni, Head of Digital Innovation at Emirates Global Aluminium.

Professor Ghassan Aouad, Chancellor Abu Dhabi University (ADU), said: “For the 11th year, we are delighted to witness the great turnaround of university students partaking in the Competition. At ADU, we work closely with our strategic partners such as RTX, to further provide students and the community with state-of-the-art competitions to advance their research and innovation knowledge and skills while promoting critical thinking. Through this Competition, we aim to inspire GCC and MENA region universities to integrate scientific research into undergraduate education to cultivate lifelong learning and boost students’ career prospects.”

Prof. Ghassan added: “We extend our gratitude to all participants for their dedication and eagerness to showcase their exceptional projects, as well as ADU’s committed faculty and staff members for their ongoing support towards the success of this event. We thank our esteemed partner, RTX, for their continuous support and sponsorship on this strategic initiative.”

Fahad Al Mheiri, Managing Director of Raytheon Emirates, an RTX business, said: “At RTX, we recognize the significance of fostering an inquiry-based culture that embraces a multidisciplinary innovation approach to drive sustainable growth and progress in the UAE and wider region. The ADU Undergraduate Research and Innovation Competition does just that and continues to provide an exceptional platform for students to transform their ideas into tangible research projects. The impressive submissions showcased at the competition were a testament to students' inquiry-driven minds and passion to become future leaders and impactful research contributors. We are honored to be associated with this initiative and inspired by the level of innovation exhibited.”

The URIC is the largest undergraduate research event in the GCC and MENA region. Over the years, the Competition has witnessed remarkable growth, whereas last year, approximately 400 research papers were presented from 25 disciplines by teams from 64 universities across 14 countries.

To know more about Abu Dhabi University’s programs, please visit: https://www.adu.ac.ae/

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About Abu Dhabi University:

Abu Dhabi University (ADU) is one of the region’s leading academic institutions, translating the UAE Government’s National Agenda to deliver internationally accredited academic programs and world-class research.

Established in 2003, with campuses across Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, and Dubai, the University serves around 8,000 students from over 100 nationalities. The University is home to five colleges across different disciplines including arts and sciences, business, engineering, health sciences, and law, while offering a diverse range of over 50 undergraduate and graduate programs.

According to the Times Higher Education Rankings (THE), ADU ranks second in the UAE for its research quality, and it is among the top three universities in the UAE, while holding the number one position in the teaching pillar. Additionally, THE Rankings has recognized the University’s Business and Economics subject area as number one in the UAE. 

The University has made an impressive debut in THE Young University Rankings 2023, ranking in the 60th position globally among the world's best universities that are 50 years or younger. Furthermore, the University came in 89th place in the prestigious THE Asia Rankings 2024 and was ranked first in the UAE for graduate employability as per the Global University Employability Ranking 2023-24.

Parallelly, ADU ranks in the 580th place globally, according to the 2024 edition of the QS World University Rankings and received a 5-star rating in the 2022 QS Stars rating.

ADU continues to empower faculty and students with state-of-the-art resources, facilities, and learning opportunities that foster innovation and support research-based problem-solving. The University maintains strong international collaborations with leading academic institutions and public and private sector organizations, with institutional accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges' Senior College and University Commission (WASC).

To know more about ADU, follow on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.

Media Contacts
Weber Shandwick for Abu Dhabi University
Sara Farrah
Sfarrah@webershandwick.com