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SHARJAH’S INNOVATION ECONOMY

ESTABLISHING A WORLD CLASS INNOVATION LOCATION & TESTBED

FOR THE SHARJAH RESEARCH, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION PARK

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

FUTURE CITIES CATAPULT TEAM

HEAD OF GLOBAL BUSINESS GROWTH: Dr Amy Hochadel

SENIOR MARKET ANALYST: Rimaljit Kaur Likhari

Additional contributions from the wider project team,

specially, Marc Postle, Aisling Conlon, Kieran Kilbride-Singh,

Claire Waterworth, Ramola Nadkarni, Gemma Guilera,

Yalena Coleman, Ivor Wells, Nadia Echchihab, Reza Akhavan,

Nissa Shahid, Charlotte Hutton and Geoffrey Stevens are

gratefully acknowledged.

The project team also expresses its gratitude to the stakeholders

from various cities who participated in our stakeholder survey

and interviews and offered their insights on innovation within

their cities.

REVIEWERS

Dr Tim Moonen, Managing Director, The Business of Cities

Dr Jennifer Schooling, Director, Centre for Smart Infrastructure

and Construction, University of Cambridge

© 2019

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Future Cities Catapult is honoured to be working with the Emirate of Sharjah in realising the vision of His Highness, Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, to be recognised as a world class leader in research and innovation.

Innovation is not new to Sharjah. Sharjah has been laying the foundations of education and innovation for over 50 years – through neighbourhood apprenticeship programmes and makers spaces, establishing world class universities, investing in research and development and now in the founding of the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park.

Cities all over the world are embarking on this same innovation journey, working on solutions for how infrastructure and culture can keep pace with rapid urbanisation. Sharjah is not unique in this respect, but it is unique in its approach to establishing an innovation-based economy.

This report, based on our work with cities around the world, shows Sharjah has multiple intrinsic strengths. First, Sharjah is already working across academia, business and government to support innovation. Second, the Government of Sharjah understands

innovation requires investment and has made substantial commitments for future R&D. Finally, rather than looking inward and taking a competitive stance, Sharjah is looking for global partners to share their journey.

We hope that by leveraging these inherent strengths and employing the insights provided in this report, Sharjah will solidify its role as the leader of research and innovation across the Gulf and be recognised as a world class innovation location and testbed around the world.

Yours sincerely,

DR AMY HOCHADELHead of Global Business Growth Future Cities Catapult

FOREWORD

SHARJAH RESEARCH, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION PARKA WORLD CLASS INNOVATION LOCATION AND TESTBED

Innovation in business is not a buzzword. The Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation Park (SRTI Park) grounds the innovation journey in a ‘Total Place’ approach with the infrastructure and ecosystem that businesses, from startups to large corporations, need to bring innovations to market.

The world is increasingly digitally connected, but face-to-face business still matters. Physically locating in an innovation location brings huge competitive advantages. Sharjah’s location at the heart of the United Arab Emirates means it is one of the region’s leading trading hubs.

ADVANTAGEOUS GEOGRAPHIC POSITION: An economic reach across MENA, from Morocco to Oman covering more than 200 million people

SPECIALISED ZONES & LOWER OPERATING COSTS: A network of free zones provides an attractive business environment with a business set-up cost that is one of the lowest in the UAE

In changing times, businesses can struggle to find investors who understand risk in innovation, academics who use research as a pathway to product development, and a location that will enable both. The SRTI Park provides essential access to ‘innovation investors’ and R&D support that is unparalleled in the UAE.

INNOVATION INVESTORS: Sharjah benefits from a strong private and public investment landscape currently present in the region, investing ~US$1 billion annually in R&D, Education and Innovation

ACADEMIC R&D BASE: Access to the University City talent comprised of 47,000 students and 2,000 PhD holders from over 200 nationalities

The pathway from idea to market is never easy and does not happen in isolation. Innovative businesses need access to high value assets, infrastructure, and a brain-trust that develops a unique USP for the global market. The SRTI Park provides a location where investors can experience innovation in action.

WORLD CLASS TESTBED: The SRTI Park is not just a place to have offices. The Park is designed to be an all-encompassing location for innovation from start to finish, including an advanced ‘real world’ location to test products and services.

LOCATIONTHE SRTI PARK IS POSITIONED FOR GLOBAL REACH

SUPPORTTHE SRTI PARK EMPOWERS INNOVATION

GLOBAL USPTHE SRTI PARK CATALYSES COMMERCIALISATION

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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This report provides insights, expertise and a set of recommendations aimed at making the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park (SRTI Park) a successful innovation location and testbed, helping position Sharjah as an influential actor in the global innovation economy.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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Highlighting Sharjah’s opportunities, challenges, unique position and inherent attributes, the report covers four seminal areas:

• An in-depth review of the current state of play for Sharjah (Chapter 3) and the SRTI Park across the key drivers for successful innovation locations

• A recommendation on the most suitable type of innovation location (Chapter 4), accompanied by testbed design principles (Chapter 5) to make it as successful as possible

• A ten-city comparison (Chapter 6) to identify the type of global innovation locations and cities that provide an opportunity to learn from, grow with and do business with

• A roadmap of recommendations (Chapter 7) actionable by the SRTI Park to enable long-term success as an innovation location and testbed

The SRTI Park has inherent assets in its existing location and the ability to ‘build’ the location it desires in order to meet the needs of Sharjah’s triple helix of academics, businesses and government. There are several options for the type of successful innovation location that will fulfil strategic goals and lend to Sharjah’s innovation economy, including an innovation district, innovation campus, and suburban innovation park. Regardless of the location type, the SRTI Park should aim to implement cutting-edge testbed design principles from the base infrastructure up, which will attract innovative companies to the park and the wider region.

An analysis of Sharjah and the SRTI Park across six fundamental drivers for successful innovation locations reveal existing successes that can be leveraged, alongside areas for improvement:

1. Markets and investment With a moderate performance rating and a promising market and investment landscape, there are avenues to further strengthen the emirate’s market and investment ecosystem and improve its attractiveness for innovative businesses. The roadmap identifies both fiscal incentives the Emirate could undertake and market conditions it can influence.

2. Inter-firm activity Overall indicators suggest a moderately high level of inter-firm and sectoral activity in Sharjah. To capitalise on its existing business ecosystem and sectoral strengths, Sharjah and the SRTI Park can play a key role in promoting and facilitating increased collaboration and healthy competition between firms that drives them to engage in joint research and innovation projects that benefit multiple stakeholders. Clustering of industries is one key way that Sharjah can proactively encourage greater inter-firm activity.

3. Knowledge and R&D Housing some of the leading regional universities, Sharjah enjoys a strong higher education sector with some high-potential knowledge anchors. However, in terms of IP creation, Sharjah currently faces stagnation, reflecting the need for more focused and streamlined R&D activity. Through its focus on applied research, the SRTI Park will play a significant role in helping bridge the gap between academia and commercial research in Sharjah.

4. Skills and Human Capital Sharjah’s higher education ecosystem produces a large cohort of graduates and PhDs with specialist skills in areas including biosciences, data science, mathematics, engineering and medicine. The large talent pool, combined with the cheaper cost of living relative to neighbouring emirates, gives Sharjah a significant advantage.

THERE ARE SEVERAL OPTIONS FOR THE TYPE OF SUCCESSFUL INNOVATION LOCATION THAT WILL FULFIL STRATEGIC GOALS AND LEND TO SHARJAH’S INNOVATION ECONOMY.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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5. Governance and Policy Sharjah is assessed to perform moderately well on governance and policy drivers for innovation. Its current initiatives and supportive leadership have laid the foundations for creating and nurturing an innovation ecosystem, but there is room for further initiatives that can go a long way to transform the Emirate into a knowledge-based innovation economy. Some of the recommended initiatives include using global standards such as the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), improving open data policies, and establishing an international advisory board.

6. Infrastructure and Culture Sharjah performs medium-to-high on infrastructure and cultural drivers. To create a location for innovation, rather than an office park with lab

facilities, it is key that the SRTI Park include more than just working and technical space. The few areas that need further improvement include provisions of better public transport and more advanced telecommunication networks. For example, a Park-and-Ride service could encourage people from further afield to travel to the SRTI Park without creating additional congestion.

Finally, innovation cannot flourish in a vacuum. Sharjah has a strong innovation value proposition. It now needs to promote its journey and expertise more broadly with global cities around the world. Sharjah can learn from global best practice cities such as Boston, Cambridge and Singapore. It can partner with peer cities including Johannesburg, Delft and Marseille. And it can form business relationships with investor cities like Shenzhen, Bangalore, Barcelona and Philadelphia.

01 Introduction 010

02 Global, National and Local Trends in Innovation Locations 013

2.1 The Global View 014 2.2 The UAE View 016 2.3 The Sharjah View 017

03 The Sharjah Analysis 020

3.1 Markets and Investment 022 3.2 Inter-firm Activity 023 3.3 Knowledge and R&D 024 3.4 Skills and Human Capital 025 3.5 Governance and Policy 026 3.6 Infrastructure and Culture 027

04 Sharjah Innovation Location Type 028

4.1 Suburban Innovation Park 029 4.2 Innovation Campus 030 4.3 Innovation District 030

05 Creating a World Class Testbed 032

06 Global Comparison of 035 Innovation Locations

6.1 Peer cities – Cities to Grow With 037

Johannesburg (Gauteng Province), 038 South Africa

Delft, Netherlands 040 Marseille (Aix-Marseille-Provence 042

Metropolitan Area), France

6.2 Investor Cities – Cities to do 044 Business With

Shenzhen, China 045 Bangalore (Bengaluru), India 047 Barcelona, Spain 049 Philadelphia, USA 051

6.3 Global Best Practice Cities 053 – Cities to Learn From

Cambridge, UK 054 Boston, USA 057 Singapore 060

07 A Roadmap for the SRTI Park 062

7.1 Markets and Investment 064 7.2 Inter-firm Activity 065 7.3 Knowledge and R&D 066 7.4 Skills and Human Capital 067 7.5 Governance and Policy 069 7.6 Infrastructure and Culture 071

References 072

CONTENTS

01 INTRODUCTION

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01 INTRODUCTIONSHARJAH, AN EMIRATE STEEPED IN CULTURE, EDUCATION AND INNOVATION, CONTINUES TO ADVANCE ITS JOURNEY OF BECOMING A WORLD-CLASS INNOVATION LOCATION.

01 INTRODUCTION

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In the 1970s, the Ruler of Sharjah implemented a series of local maker spaces and apprenticeship programmes to ensure residents had a solid skill base and opportunities to ‘experiment’. In 1997, the Ruler established two universities in Sharjah – one for men and one for women – sowing the seeds for a world class focus on higher education. More recently, the Government committed a further $500m investment for R&D, including the Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation Park (SRTI Park) and testbed. As such, Sharjah is solidifying its role as a regional leader and its potential for becoming a global leader in education and R&D-led innovation.

Aside from the value proposition presented on pages 4 & 5, this report is primarily for internal decision making by the leadership and stakeholders of the SRTI Park.

The SRTI Park is envisaged as a home to knowledge-intensive businesses. By leveraging the intellectual, academic and business capabilities of the local ecosystem the Park hopes to attract leading companies. The Park will also provide a platform for research into water technologies, renewable energy, environmental technology, digitisation, production design and architecture, and transport and logistics. By providing this platform for innovative startups and established companies to enter or expand in the region, the Park has the potential to position Sharjah as a regional and global leader in innovation and job creation.

This report constructs a ‘scaffolding’ of understanding around the SRTI Park as an innovation location and testbed to build a broader understanding of the drivers enabling Sharjah to host an innovation economy.

This report builds on two pieces of existing research produced by Future Cities Catapult:

• The Logic of Innovation Locations report: Looks across a global ecosystem of innovation locations, finding nine distinct typologies and identifying a checklist for success

• The City Typology Report: Looks at a global list of 500 cities and classifies them by their business and research & innovation potential

Across seven chapters this report draws on established methodologies to deliver regional and global context on innovation locations and economies, give in-depth analysis and city comparisons to help Sharjah look outward and determine the drivers for success, and provide an actionable roadmap for the leadership of Sharjah and the SRTI Park to move forward with.

Establishing an innovation park with high consequence outputs for an overall economy needs to be carefully managed and sequenced. Following the process and recommendations in this report will help Sharjah build on existing attributes and provide the best opportunity for establishing a world class Innovation Location and Testbed at the SRTI Park. Success would have positive economic implications in an environment less reliant on commodities, the ability to compete for more high value opportunities, and retaining talent and students.

Through these efforts, Sharjah can solidify its position as the centre for research and innovation alongside the business and financial centres of the Emirates.

SHARJAH HAS A RICH HISTORY OF FOSTERING A SPIRIT OF INNOVATION ACROSS THE EMIRATE AND ITS PEOPLE.

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01 INTRODUCTION

FOCUS SECTORS OF THE SRTI PARK

WATER TECHNOLOGY

Purification and desalination, water recycling & waste water

treatment, Water monitoring & Conservation, Artificial Rain making

& Aquaculuture technologies

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Solar Thermal Energy, Smart Grids & Energy Storage,

Waste to Energy and Biofuel Production Technologies

TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS

High Performance & Advanced Materials, Sensor Technologies,

Mobility Systems & Autonomous Vehichles, Marine & Air Freight

Technologies & Urban Planning Systems

ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY

Solar Thermal Energy, Smart Grids & Energy Storage, Waste

to Energy and Biofuel Production Technologies

PRODUCTION, DESIGN & ARCHITECTURE

Robotics & Artificial Intelligence, Rapid Prototyping and Digital

Fabrication, Advanced Building & Construction Materials, Production & Factory Planning, Contemporary

Arabic Architecture

DIGITISATION

Big Data, Internet of things, Quantum Computing, Smart City Applications & Solutions

AB

02 GLOBAL, NATIONAL & LOCAL TRENDS IN INNOVATION LOCATIONS

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02 GLOBAL, NATIONAL & LOCAL TRENDS IN INNOVATION LOCATIONSMACRO INNOVATION LOCATION TRENDS CAN GUIDE SHARJAH ON WHAT IS NEEDED TO SUCCESSFULLY DEVELOP THE SRTI PARK.

02 GLOBAL, NATIONAL AND LOCAL TRENDS IN INNOVATION LOCATIONS

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2.1 THE GLOBAL VIEW

This chapter provides understanding on the geographical, political and social contexts that have led to rapid establishment of ‘innovation locations’ around the world. At the global level, an innovation location is defined as physical location in a city used as a nexus to drive a city’s innovation economy.

Over time, societies around the world have shifted their focus to innovation economies. Instead of industrial or corporate economies focused on developing and distributing commodities, society’s new goal is evolving to improve the quality of life for all and expand wealth by developing new business models, products and services, and forms of production.

As rapid technology disruption and adoption continue to have a cross-sectoral impact on industries and citizens, nurturing the innovation economy has become a priority for many cities. Some of the underlying causes in this priority shift include:

• Resilience against financial and commodities crises: the essential need to diversify economies, talent base, and tax revenue

• The structural imperative to shift from shrinking industrial/commodities economy to one built around services and innovation

• Powerful multiplier effects produced by an innovation economy: jobs in the innovation economy more than double the demand for local professional and non-professional services compared to those in industrial economies

• To prepare and stay abreast of technological disruptions from innovative companies and startups across the globe

2.1 The Global View

29%

29%

25%

17%

Established Innovation Centers

24%

33%

7%

36%

New Innovation Centers

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF INNOVATION CENTERS

EUROPEUS ASIA REST OF WORLD

MANY GLOBAL CITIES HAVE ESTABLISHED INNOVATION LOCATIONS AS PART OF THEIR KNOWLEDGE-BASED ECONOMIES.

This renewed focus on innovation economies has seen a significant rise in the number of innovation centers being established globally. A study by global IT consulting firm Capgemini notes that between 2015 and 2017 the number of innovation centres grew from 301 to 580 globally. Silicon Valley in the United States continues to be the global innovation capital but growing competition across the globe, particularly from Asian countries, now challenges the status quo. Singapore and Bangalore are now the 2nd and 4th biggest destinations for innovation centers.

Innovation centers are increasingly moving into more accessible, connected, and denser urban environments conducive to innovation and cross-fertilization. This report looks at several innovation location formats that have emerged in the last ten years. The main objective is to understand their suitability for the Sharjah innovation landscape as each of these

SOURCE: CAPGEMINI CONSULTING AND ALTIMETER ANALYSIS (2017)


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innovation location types require a varying set and/or scale of growth drivers. And each location has its own success models of attracting, promoting and sustaining innovation.

The innovation location types, as defined in Future Cities Catapult’s research, The Logic of Innovation Locations, are listed below.

Global examples and macro innovation location trends can inform Sharjah’s SRTI Park development. Sharjah needs to consider both the specific type of location and how each type in other global cities has evolved into successful innovation locations. These sites are useful to learn from, grow with and do business with.

2.1 The Global View

INNOVATION HUB BUILDINGSin Central Business District or ‘city fringe’ location

INNOVATION SITESvacated by major employers

INNOVATION DISTRICTSin inner city post-industrial areas

INNOVATION TRIANGLESthat connect three concentrations of innovative activity

INNOVATION QUARTERSclose to major transport termini

INNOVATION CAMPUSESoriented around universities

INNOVATION PARKSin suburban areas undergoing intensification

INNOVATION ZONESin large out-of-town locations

INNOVATION CORRIDORSspanning multiple neighbourhoods, districts and cities

26%

18%

29%

11%

Asia EuropeUS Rest of the world

Percentages indicate growth in the number ofinnovation centers between 2015 and 2016

SOURCE: CAPGEMINI CONSULTING AND ALTIMETER ANALYSIS

REGION-WISE GROWTH IN INNOVATION CENTERS

THE TYPES OF INNOVATION LOCATIONS

THROUGH THE SRTI PARK, SHARJAH IS TAKING A BIG STEP FORWARD TO MAKE ITS CONTRIBUTION TO AND ALIGN WITH THE UAE VISION 2021.


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2.2 THE UAE VIEW

National policy is a catalyst for the role individual Emirates play in the agenda and future of the UAE economy. Sharjah has several inherent synergies lending to the UAE innovation strategy and has as a critical role to play. Parallels can be drawn between cities in the UAE and Unites States: Abu Dhabi acts as the seat of national government akin to Washington D.C; Dubai is a business hub similar to New York; Sharjah is clearly the R&D, innovation and education hub of the UAE similar to Boston.

This chapter provides an understanding of the role Sharjah can and is playing to lead the UAE as a world class centre for R&D and innovation.

NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR ADVANCED INNOVATION (UAE)

The UAE has embraced innovation in a number of ways across various sectors from healthcare and education to transport and infrastructure developments to policy-making. In February 2018, the UAE Cabinet approved the national strategy for advanced innovation. The strategy focuses on innovation in the quality of health, living, transportation, future skills, environment and water, and development of space industries. The strategy emphasizes on enabling people to focus on the goals and outcomes in seven areas: exploration, future skills, quality of health, living and life, green power, transport, and harnessing technology to serve humankind. In addition, it sets up a national platform that inspires innovation and entrepreneurship among emirates and encourages them to launch pilot initiatives in collaboration with leading international institutions and companies specialised in the field of innovation.

The SRTI Park shows several inherent synergies with this national strategy, including common focus areas such as transport, water, green power and environment, and common goals of creating and supporting future skills. The national strategy provides grounds to create free and safe spaces for experiments, testing ideas and trialling new regulations and legislation. This supports SRTI Park’s premise of offering a platform for local and global startups and established businesses to undertake research and innovation in the most pertinent sectors for Sharjah. Furthermore, the national strategy emphasises building a ‘first-rate education system as a foundation for innovation’ and aims to promote R&D across universities, which aligns with Sharjah’s existing strong education focus.

UAE VISION 2021

The SRTI Park is helping Sharjah make a big contribution to, and align with, the UAE Vision 2021. Innovation forms a key part of the pillar ‘United in Knowledge’ of UAE Vision 2021 which focuses on building the UAE into a competitive economy. One of the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of this pillar is the Global Innovation Index (GII), an annual ranking of countries by their capacity for and success in innovation. The UAE progressed by six ranks in the 2017 GII, ranking 35th globally and leading among all Arab countries, cementing its status as a leading innovative country.

The SRTI Park and broader UAE institutions have the opportunity to work together and find areas of synergies for collaborative working, imperative to ensuring that both the UAE Vision 2021 as well as the National Strategy for Advanced Innovation are implemented successfully.

2.2 The UAE View


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2.3 THE SHARJAH VIEW

Given it’s wider geographic placement, Sharjah enjoys an economic reach across the MENA region stretching from Morocco to Oman and covering more than 200 million people.

As of the 2017 financial year, Sharjah’s GDP reached an estimated Dh 92.7 billion ($25.2 billion USD), growing by an average rate of 5% between 2012 and 2017. This was driven mainly by high growth in the financial and insurance sectors, followed by the education sector, which grew 10.6% over the periodi.

As one of the major industrial bases of the UAE, Sharjah is highly diversified by regional standards. The four largest sectors that drive Sharjah’s economy are manufacturing, accounting for approx. 16% of GDP; real estate for 12%; wholesale and retail trade for 12%; and financial services for 10%. Professional, scientific and technical activities is another prominent sector, accounting for a 5.4% of the Emirate’s GDP.

SHARJAH IS ALREADY WORKING TOWARDS A CULTURE OF INNOVATION

The leadership in Sharjah recognises that applied research, innovation, and investment in nascent industries are critical to securing long term economic success for the emirate.

Several initiatives to boost the domestic economy and attract inward investment, including startup schemes for SMEs, have been put in place. The Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa), the government’s Entrepreneurship programme RUWAD, the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce’s incubator Shjseen, and the SRTI Park reflect a focused effort by the emirate to attract and retain younger entrepreneurs and companies.

20.615.7

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11.6

9.57.4

6.3

5.4

4.6

0

20

40

60

80

100

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

2.3 The Sharjah View

SHARJAH GDP AT CURRENT PRICES, FY 2012-17 (DH BN)

GDP OF TOP-EIGHT SECTORS BY VALUE, 2017 (% OF TOTAL)

WHOLESALE & RETAIL TRADE

REAL ESTATE

MANUFACTURING

FINANCIAL SERVICES

CONSTRUCTION

MARKET AND INVESTMENT

PROFESSIONAL SCIENTIFIC& TECHNICAL ACTIVITES

MINING & QUARRYING (INC. OIL & GAS)

TRANSPORTATION & STORAGE

NON-OIL OIL

THE EMIRATE’S GEOGRAPHIC POSITION AT THE HEART OF THE UAE HAS ENABLED IT TO DEVELOP AS ONE OF THE REGION’S LEADING TRADE HUBS

SOURCE: THE REPORT SHARJAH 2018’, OXFORD BUSINESS GROUP, 2018

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SHARJAH’S DIFFERENTIATING OFFER IS 45,000 STUDENTS AND 2,000 PHDS IN UNIVERSITY CITY. THAT DOESN’T EXIST IN OTHER PARTS OF THIS COUNTRY. THE INDUSTRIES THAT ARE INTERESTED IN THESE TYPES OF OFFERINGS ARE AT THE FOREFRONT OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AND INNOVATION.– His Excellency Sheikh Fahim Bin Sultan Al Qasimi

02 GLOBAL, NATIONAL AND LOCAL TRENDS IN INNOVATION LOCATIONS 2.3 The Sharjah View

The SRTI Park will be the fifth free zone in the Emirate following on from Sharjah Publishing City, Sharjah Media City, Hamriyah Free Zone (HFZ) and the Sharjah Airport International Free Zone (SAIF). The volume of these free zones—a unique selling point in the region—has enabled the emirate to differentiate itself as one of the leading industrial centres in the UAE. Collectively, they’re home to around 13,500 companies from 157 countriesii.

These efforts are bearing fruit. Sharjah outperforms its regional peers in terms of entrepreneurship and innovation potential and is already home to around 70,000 SMEs.

SHARJAH IS UNIQUELY POSITIONED FOR SUCCESS

Sharjah has several competitive advantages that can be leveraged to set up a world-class innovation ecosystem.

• Diversified Economy & Business Environment: The emirate has been highly successful in ensuring a well-diversified economy in which no individual industry accounts for more than 20% of GDP. A current incentive awards 10% of all digital transformation projects to startups and SMEs.

• Academia: Sharjah has placed a particular and ongoing emphasis on its academic institutions, strengthening its position as a centre for education within the UAE and the wider region.

• Entrepreneurial talent: Sharjah has a concentration of talent that has the potential to foster its start-up ecosystem, if supported with the right ecosystem and infrastructure, such as the SRTI Park.

• Specialised zones: Sharjah’s network of free zones and industrial zones is a key competitive advantage and critical building block in the emirate’s attractive business environment offer.

• Affordability and lower operating costs: The cost of setting up a business in Sharjah is one of the lowest in the UAE, underpinned by lower property prices and sound labour legislation that keeps operating and human resource costs down.

• Advantageous geographic position: Sharjah is the only emirate with ports on both the western and eastern coasts, making it an advantageous place to carry out international trade. It is also the only emirate which shares borders with most of the other emirates.

In particular, it offers access to the major markets in the Middle East.

EDUCATION IS FUNDAMENTAL TO A SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM One of Sharjah’s early initiatives on the road towards an innovation ecosystem began 20 years ago with the development of the University City. Established in 1997, the University City is a 2.5-kilometre hub home to ten educational institutions including the University of Sharjah, University Hospital Sharjah, and the American University of Sharjah.

Today, University City provides education to students of over 100 nationalities, which has created a vibrant breeding ground for new ideas. The innovation ecosystem in Sharjah is gaining momentum, cultivated by a highly motivated leadership and a motivated, energetic student population and faculty within the city.

THE SRTI PARK CAN HELP ESTABLISH SHARJAH AS A WORLD LEADER IN INNOVATION

The SRTI Park is intended to bridge the gap between academia-led research and market-led innovation and commercialisation, helping to harness the region’s applied research potential to grow knowledge-intensive businesses.

The SRTI Park has been tasked with the following goals:

• Developing a World-Class Innovation Ecosystem that nurtures startups and local companies to grow into world-class Sharjah-based companies, supporting a knowledge-based economy.

• Attracting Global Talent and creating the structure to attract top talent and companies as a source of ongoing employment for graduates and postgraduates.

• Attracting Leading Companies to adapt their products and services locally and develop new solutions for regional demand. With the SRTI Park, AUS aims to provide leadership for research that will attract businesses to invest in R&D and a source of talented graduates and postdoctoral students.

• Focusing research in areas that are vital to Sharjah and the Gulf Region.

• Leading Sharjah to technology leadership acting as the region‘s role model for a knowledge economy.

• Providing employment opportunities to AUS graduates and post-graduates.

Already in the early stages of operation, the SRTI Park has initial commitments from global companies such as Skyway, Oxford Ventures, and CBrain.

The SRTI Park’s overall goals are ambitious. To succeed it must understand the unique economic, cultural, demographic, business and innovation environment in Sharjah. Then it must design its work accordingly to establish Sharjah as the world leader in innovation, knowledge research and development.


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2.3 The Sharjah View

THERE ARE A LOT OF PROJECTS IN THE R&D STAGE THAT COULD BE COMMERCIALISED, IN PARTICULAR IN MEDICINE AND ELECTRONICS, AND WE WILL SEE MORE AND MORE R&D-BASED START-UPS EMERGING IN THE COMING YEARS– Samer Choucair, Vice-President, CE-Ventures (2017)

SHARJAH CORNICHE

03 THE SHARJAH ANALYSIS

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03 THE SHARJAH ANALYSISTHE EXTENT TO WHICH THE DRIVERS OF AN INNOVATION ECONOMY ARE PRESENT IN SHARJAH IS FUNDAMENTAL TO ITS VIABILITY AS AN INNOVATION LOCATION.

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03 THE SHARJAH ANALYSIS

Globally, many cities are repurposing underused land into innovation centres in the hope of capturing a slice of the global innovation economy. But not all locations have what it takes to drive innovation. Analysts have judged numerous technology parks/creative quarters/enterprise zones as failures. In many cases failures are attributed to inadequate efforts to determine the conditions conducive to the success of high technology firms.iii

To maximise chances of success it’s essential Sharjah and its leaders consider what is possible, desirable, and realistic when it comes to setting up the SRTI Park as a research and innovation centre. The Logic of Innovation Locations study by Future Cities Catapult defines fundamental drivers and ecosystem conditions that underpin a thriving innovation ecosystem and help test the viability of potential innovation centres.

This chapter benchmarks Sharjah against these drivers and ecosystem conditions. The outcome is a performance assessment informed by extensive desktop research, a city comparison study, and primary research involving interviews and focus groups with stakeholders in Sharjah and other locations in this report.

PRE-EXISTING FUNDAMENTAL GROWTH DRIVERS PLAY A KEY ROLE IN HOW INNOVATION ECONOMIES EMERGE.

• MARKETS AND INVESTMENT

• INTER-FIRM ACTIVITY

• KNOWLEDGE AND R&D

• SKILLS AND HUMAN CAPITAL

• GOVERNANCE AND POLICY

• INFRASTRUCTURE AND CULTURE

CITY PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS ON INNOVATION DRIVERS(ON A SCALE OF 1-11; 11 BEING THE HIGHEST SCORE)

THE SIX FUNDAMENTAL DRIVERS USED TO ASSESS SHARJAH ARE:

MARKET AND INVESTMENT INFRASTRUCTURE, CULTURE AND LIVING CONDITIONS

INTER-FIRM ACTIVITY SKILLS AND HUMAN CAPITAL

KNOWLEDGE AND R&D GOVERNANCE

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03 THE SHARJAH ANALYSIS 3.1 Markets and Investment

MARKETS AND INVESTMENT

Emerging innovation economies must provide access to a sizeable consumer and supplier market alongside access to local investors with an appetite for high risk activities such as research and innovation.

SHARJAH’S CURRENT STATE OF PLAY

Sharjah’s population of 1.4 million is a sizeable chunk of the UAE’s total population of 9.4 million people. This means there is a hefty consumer base across the Emirate, the UAE, and several African and Asian markets within close proximity. Additionally, over half of Sharjah’s population (~54%) is aged 20-39 providing access to a young, tech-savvy population. Several global cities of similar demographic scale as Sharjah, such as Stockholm in Europe and Singapore in South East Asia, have successfully leveraged their innovation sectors to penetrate wider regional markets.

This demographic advantage is complemented by the Sharjah Government’s mandate to build Sharjah into an SME and startup capital of the region, driving heavy investment in education and research. And in 2016 the Government introduced a Dh10 levy for government transactions with fees above Dh50 which supports scientific research in the Emirate. In terms of demand for new products and services, there are many potential large institutional purchasers of innovation products from across the public and private sectors.

Sharjah benefits from a strong private and public investment landscape. Private regional investors such as 500Startups, Crescent Enterprises, Wamda Capital and BECO Capital are always looking for the ‘right’ investments. In addition, Sharjah offers access to funds from its SME-focused organisations, such as the RUWAD, that can be accessed by innovative start-ups. Recently, RUWAD approved an allocation of AED1.2 million for supporting Emirati entrepreneurs in Sharjah through its direct or indirect financing programmes.iv

Sharjah’s Free Zones offer tax-free environments for businesses registered in the zones, including full exemptions from income and corporate tax and tax-free repatriation of capital and profits. SME development funds, such as the federal Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development and Sharjah’s RUWAD for SMEs, are also

available for nationals. However, high business setup costs (Dh 7,000-8,000) and deposit requirements for business bank accounts pose a significant challenge to small businesses.

PERFORMANCE RATING AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Despite a promising market and investment landscape the factors presented above result in a moderate rating for Sharjah on this theme. There are measures available to strengthen the Emirate’s market and investment ecosystem and make it more attractive for businesses:

• To further expand its market base, the SRTI Park and other research and innovation bodies in Sharjah should encourage innovative solutions that can be replicated and successfully sold in local and global markets. Globally-leading cities such as Shenzhen and Bangalore have successfully built an innovation economy capitalising on their robust exports market.

• Although the UAE government has already committed to awarding 10% of all government digital transformation projects to SMEs, there is room for further growing its ambition to meet global best practice standards. For example, in 2016 the UK government spent about 22% of its overall budget on SMEs.

• The SRTI Park can set an example of large-scale institutional procurement of innovative solutions from local and global providers. It should ensure that these innovative solutions are used and showcased in a way that encourages other large private and public sector organisations to invest in them.

• To attract an increased number of private investors in the Emirate, it is imperative that Sharjah invests its public sector funds – such as from R&D and seed funds of its universities and other incubators – to grow an initial set of startup ‘success stories’ that can help to further bolster the buzz around Sharjah’s growing innovation economy.

• The Government of Sharjah should also consider incentivising or lowering business setup costs for startups and both foreign and national entrepreneurs.

03 THE SHARJAH ANALYSIS 3.2 Inter-firm Activity

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INTER-FIRM ACTIVITY

Markets moving towards innovation economies typically witness demand for innovative products and services from existing sectors. These are strong signs of growth but must be complemented with productivity and performance improvements elsewhere due to changing market conditions. Furthermore, inter-firm and inter-institutional collaboration among academia and public or private bodies can play a determining role in developing a knowledge-based economy. Such interactions encourage a culture of dynamic competition among related firms, which is a critical spur to innovation in terms of products, services and business models.


Sharjah is one of the main industrial bases of the UAE and has successfully developed its industrial, logistics and manufacturing sectors through a network of free zones and industrial zones that continue to develop and expand. These free zones house around 13,500 global companies working in a range of sectors from petroleum and plastics to food processing. E-commerce, digital marketplaces, trade, power, health care, logistics and infrastructure have also been identified as sectors ripe for investment and growth.v

The Emirate is home to more than 60,000 SMEs and several large businesses. This expanding and robust business ecosystem, if leveraged appropriately, can create a highly innovative economy in Sharjah. However, with only a handful of high tech or knowledge-intensive companies, Sharjah needs to encourage and foster more innovative startups to transition into a knowledge-based innovation economy.

This growing scale and density of businesses in Sharjah has gradually led to higher competition. In particular, tech products and services have forced traditional businesses to enhance their offerings across their business lines.


Sharjah’s inter-firm and sectoral activity rates moderately high. To build on existing strengths Sharjah and the SRTI Park should promote and facilitate increased collaboration and competition between firms, driving them to engage in joint research and innovation projects that benefit multiple stakeholders. The SRTI Park itself could offer incentives such as cheap or zero-cost rental space alongside access to the state-of-the-art research infrastructure for collaborative, inter-firm projects.

03 THE SHARJAH ANALYSIS 3.3 Knowledge and R&D

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KNOWLEDGE AND R&D

The success of an innovation location is not solely dependent on the presence of knowledge or technology-intensive institution: not all university cities are centres of innovation. Success is also tied to an established culture of collaboration, a financial imperative to commercialise, and a related system of entrepreneurship within and around these institutional anchors. Then there is the need to retain and build a base of skilled workers. This last factor is itself shaped by the existing policy and funding environment and whether it incentivises the right balance of enterprise, solutions-driven activity and IP protection.


Sharjah is home to some of the leading regional universities, providing high-potential knowledge anchors. The Sharjah Research Academy, the AUS and UoS are some of the key institutions leading the Emirate in developing research expertise across sectors. For instance, AUS houses several applied research divisions including the Smart Cities Research Institute, the Gulf Environments Research Institute, the Geospatial Analysis Centre and the Materials Science and Engineering Research Institute. These institutions form one of the main pillars supporting the ambitious research agenda of Sharjah.

However, when it comes to creating IP, Sharjah, and indeed the UAE, is faced with stagnation: out of 126 countries measured on the ‘Patent Applications’ indicator, UAE ranks 114th. This demonstrates the need for more focused, collaborative and streamlined R&D activity. The majority of private sector R&D is currently limited to a few firms dedicating significant percentages of their budgets to R&D.

Whereas Sharjah’s prominent universities are pushing to increase cross-pollination of academic and commercial research. The University of Sharjah (UoS), for instance,

is establishing a technology-transfer office to develop patents and licenses to spinoff research breakthroughs into startups. The SRTI Park will play a significant role in bridging this gap between academia and commercial research in Sharjah.


While Sharjah rates highly on knowledge drivers, there is substantial room for improvement when it comes to R&D drivers. It is fair to say that Sharjah performs medium-to-high on both Knowledge & R&D drivers. To further improve R&D activity and cultivate and nurture a sound R&D-to-market ecosystem, we recommend:

• Taking cue from global leaders in innovation and convening a steering group where chief research officers, departmental research heads, government representatives, VCs, and key industry players can meet to understand the pipeline of innovations and make decisions about funding priorities as products move closer to market.

• Offering incentives to encourage international research arms of leading universities and large businesses to locate in the SRTI Park.

• Encouraging more inter-firm and inter-institutional collaboration within Sharjah by offering financial and non-financial incentives and frameworks for joint applied research projects, preferably locating them at the SRTI Park. Internationally, organisations such as Innovate UK and its network of Catapults, have successfully launched and undertaken several collaborative R&D projects between private sector, academia and other public bodies.

03 THE SHARJAH ANALYSIS 3.4 Skills and Human Capital

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SKILLS AND HUMAN CAPITAL

Innovation locations should retain and build a base of skilled workers who are needed to populate innovative firms and sectors.


Supported by a group of reputed higher learning institutions, Sharjah enjoys a relatively large talent pool with around 45,000 students and 2,000 PhDs in the University City alone. These graduates exhibit specialist skills in areas including biosciences, data science, mathematics, engineering and medicine. This large talent pool, combined with the cheaper cost of living relative to neighbouring emirates, gives Sharjah a significant advantage. Furthermore, the government recently introduced a number of measures to attract and retain talent within the Emirate. A recently proposed visa rule change would allow international students to secure five-year visas and ten years for specialists working in the fields of medicine, science, research and technical fields.

In terms of leadership skills necessary to provide SMEs with professional management, Sharjah’s openness to global talent ensures it has access to global leadership and management personnel. Some programmes, such as the Massar Programme and the Kawader Programme for nationals, are also helping to impart leadership skills among a higher number of nationals.


Sharjah performs medium to high on Skills and Human Capital. To further enhance supply and quality of skills

and human capital, particularly to meet changing industry needs, we recommend:

• Establish more targeted exchange programmes with globally renowned universities. These programmes should aim to help students acquire more interdisciplinary knowledge as well as to develop social and business networks.

• Leading research universities across the world, such as the University of Cambridge, through their formal innovation training modules embed the idea of becoming an entrepreneur early on in their students. Sharjah’s universities and the SRTI Park should offer innovation and entrepreneurship courses and workshops for their students and facilitate their engagement and mentorship with industry leaders.

• In the medium to long term, Sharjah’s investment and funding bodies should incorporate a requirement that businesses and organisations funded by them embed mentorship programmes and school outreach into their businesses. This guarantees that when highly innovative companies in high-skilled industries do become successful, that there is a local talent pool to continue and deploy these businesses.

• To help attract global leadership and talent more seamlessly, the Sharjah government can also make visa processes and fees simpler and more affordable for SMEs looking to expand into Sharjah and/or UAE.

03 THE SHARJAH ANALYSIS 3.5 Governance and Policy

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GOVERNANCE AND POLICY

Innovation itself is shaped by the existing policy and funding environment and if that environment incentivises the right balance of enterprise, solutions-driven activity and IP protection.


Sharjah has made considerable progress creating a policy landscape encouraging procurement of innovative technology and services. Organisations such as the SRTI Park and Shurooq are already bringing Sharjah’s various R&D stakeholders together on shared strategic goals. Sheraa launched its second hub in the Emirate at the University of Sharjah, the first being in AUS, which has potential to further boost inter-disciplinary R&D as its headquarters will be relocated to the SRTI park. However, there is a need for more inter-institutional collaboration between private and academic organisations in the Emirate.

The UAE’s IP protection regime is generally considered fair and in compliance with international obligations. With the establishment of Sharjah Publishing City, the authorities have ramped up the regulatory environment surrounding publishing. There have been updates to laws on online copyright infringement and an increased capacity to prosecute copyright violators.


Sharjah performs moderately well on Governance and Policy drivers for innovation. Its current initiatives and supportive leadership have laid the foundations for creating and nurturing an innovation ecosystem

but there is room for further measures that can go a long way to transform the Emirate into a knowledge-based economy:

• The SRTI Park can play a key role in determining future policy incentives for applied research initiatives. To begin with, it could convene various stakeholders to form a collaborative leadership and lobbying network as part of its offering. This organisation could be formed of leaders from key R&D institutions, private firms and sectoral networks that can promote interdisciplinary research and inter-institutional collaboration.

• For the appropriate governance it is imperative to identify measurable KPIs that define success over a set period. These indicators can be used to provide actionable guidance for how Sharjah’s innovation economy should grow and develop in the short, medium- and long-term. Some of these KPIs, measured annually, should include: IP produced, number of new tenants, amount of angel investment, revenue generated by tenant SMEs, number of new SMEs registered, and number and impact of industry-academia partnerships.

• To decrease siloed government decision making and to improve procurement and policy processes, we recommend implementing an Innovation Champions programme, which is already in development with Future Cities Catapult. This will create champions at all levels of government and organisations to help improve business processes and the overall business experience.

03 THE SHARJAH ANALYSIS 3.6 Infrastructure and Culture

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INFRASTRUCTURE AND CULTURE

Several supporting factors are required to attract and retain the type of talent able and interested in creating and sustaining innovation locations. These factors include physical regional and city infrastructure and a region rich in culture and leisure activities.


Sharjah enjoys an advantageous geographical location that shares borders with most of the other emirates, allowing it access to R&D, economic development budgets and the innovation clusters and markets of other wealthy emirates. The wider region innovation landscape offers strengths and capabilities in areas such as technology, healthcare and sustainability and energy that are complementary to Sharjah’s innovation needs and focus.

Sharjah city was officially accredited as the Middle East’s first WHO Healthy City in 2015 for continually working to create and improve both its physical and social environments. Last year, Sharjah embarked on a development project to create parks and recreation areas for its key industrial zones. In addition, being home to numerous world-renowned museums, Sharjah also offers a highly vibrant art and culture scene. Combined with relatively affordable housing market, Sharjah makes for an attractive place for living and needs to be marketed accordingly.

When it comes to transport, Sharjah has its own airport and direct road connections with other emirates. But taxis are the main medium of transport to and from the airport. Issues surrounding high traffic congestion on some key routes are expected to be resolved in next few years with the Sharjah government adopting a number of measures to improve public transport and promoting healthy mobility. For instance, the Sharjah Urban Planning Council is currently establishing a programme

to create a network of covered walkways and cycle paths from the city of Sharjah to University City.

On the downside, highly regulated Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services in UAE means globally most popular online call and video platforms are blocked in Sharjah. However, government services within the emirate are being increasingly digitised. For example, the introduction of e-services is improving collaboration between businesses and the relevant government authorities, with new e-portals. But compared to global best practice standards, this is still an area for further development.


Sharjah rates medium-to-high on infrastructure and cultural drivers. The few areas that need further improvement include better public transport and more advanced telecommunication networks. This requires working together with government to encourage enhanced mobility, allowing for ease of movement, particularly between the wider region and the SRTI Park and University City. A Park and Ride service could encourage people from further afield to travel as close and possible to the SRTI Park without creating additional congestion.

The SRTI Park should lay the groundwork for 5G telecommunications to be rolled out as soon as the technology is available in the region. This will enable data-hungry new services and mission critical applications to be trialled on the campus.

Beyond physical infrastructure, the SRTI Park and Sharjah government should offer world-class digital infrastructure to businesses, universities and other relevant bodies in the innovation ecosystem. Further details on these measures can be found in Chapter 7.

04 SHARJAH INNOVATION LOCATION TYPE

04 SHARJAH INNOVATION LOCATION TYPETHREE LOCATION TYPES WILL ENHANCE SUCCESS AND FULFIL STRATEGIC GOALS: AN INNOVATION DISTRICT, INNOVATION CAMPUS, AND SUBURBAN INNOVATION PARK.

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This chapter analyses three of the nine innovation location formats taken from The Logic of Innovation Locations and their suitability for the SRTI Park. This analysis is a post-hoc review, looking at assets and strategies of different places. The SRTI Park already has some indelible characteristics that will guide the type of location it will be and an assessment of what these are will shape further analysis.

It is imperative to assess the most suitable location format as each requires a different development path and strategy focus, as well as requiring their own success models to attract, promote and sustain innovation.

SUITABILITY ASSESSMENT RATIONALE

The SRTI Park plot measures around 1.8 million square metres. This size combined with the ambition of the project highlights three suitable location types: innovation district, innovation campus, and suburban innovation park. See appendices for the full suitability assessment of all nine location types.

READINESS, COST AND BARRIERS

To determine the most appropriate type of innovation location, readiness and the potential costs and barriers of achieving outcomes must be considered.

An initial analysis uses unweighted scores, giving characteristics that are marked as ‘Low’ one point, ‘Medium’ two points, and ‘High’ three points. Taking only the readiness of the SRTI Park into account, the innovation campus and the suburban innovation park score equally, seemingly indicating that either type would be suitable.

However, further analysis looking at the costs and barriers adds additional weighting to the readiness score. These are assessed subjectively, based on our understanding of the global and local conditions and stakeholders. Areas difficult to achieve that Sharjah is

already well-developed on score highly, while areas that are easy to achieve yet Sharjah has made little progress on score lower. The full data set and analysis can be found in the appendices.

4.1 SUBURBAN INNOVATION PARK

The existing configuration, currently under construction, would lend itself well to the suburban innovation park location type.

The area posing the largest challenge, and where we see Sharjah as having a lower readiness level, is securing large anchor tenants. As a new location yet to prove its long-term credibility and global reach, and despite the greater financial capacity of large companies, rent and space concession should be given to large companies to entice them to join the location. This can be a challenging issue to come to terms with for leadership.

In other aspects with lower cost and barrier thresholds, such as providing a centre of gravity and design that builds identify and community, Sharjah scores medium-to-high on readiness. All government buildings, university and most other supporting organisations are built in a middle-eastern design that evokes a strong sense of identity and pride throughout the Emirate. The design of the park follows this model.

The suburban park can implement technology transfer mechanisms such as clustering building hubs managed by intermediaries. With a medium readiness level, the site can have dense, under-one-roof, development that challenges siloed mentality within and between departments and companies - something that can be physically easy to achieve but not culturally. Similarly, the SRTI park can have site managers that have zoning, taxing and compulsory purchase powers; create links to local schools to build curricula with related provision and channels for career development; and capitalise on strong advocacy of industry associations.

THE SRTI PARK’S EXISTING LOCATION AND ABILITY TO ‘BUILD’ THE LOCATION IT DESIRES IN ORDER TO MEET THE NEEDS OF SHARJAH’S TRIPLE HELIX OF ACADEMICS, BUSINESSES, AND GOVERNMENT IS A MAJOR ASSET.


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Finally, there are two areas with a high or medium difficulty level Sharjah is not yet ready to achieve. These are: access to, and visibility in respect of, sources of private capital and having a compelling brand that captures the spirit of the park. 4.2 INNOVATION CAMPUS

Many drivers for the innovation campus location score as medium across costs, barriers, and readiness. An innovation campus would be a good choice, but it would require solid planning and dedicated resources to achieve.

Sharjah has spent the last 40 years establishing itself as an education and R&D centre. This means Sharjah already commands the fundamental ‘know-how’ driver, usually perceived as difficult to achieve. With solid business planning and ongoing ecosystem engagement across Sharjah, a readiness level of medium means the following drivers can be achieved:

• In-depth experience and knowledge of property development

• An agreed mechanism for implementation across different stakeholders

• A masterplan that is aligned with the wider region which also reduces barriers to surrounding neighbourhoods

• Highly engaged university facilities and labs

• A multi-staged vision

An innovation campus would be a viable option for the long-term planning of the SRTI Park as it would allow the park to draw on the existing knowledge, credibility and recognised prestige of adjacent educational institutions.

4.3 INNOVATION DISTRICT

An innovation district would take the highest degree of resources to achieve. Whilst still within the range of a viable option, it would require a much longer-term approach.

A normally-difficult-to-achieve driver - a site with consolidated land ownership - would be easy for Sharjah, given the existing land ownership of the park. However, another difficult driver - possessing a leveraged history of innovation - is one that will be expensive and take dedication on the part of Sharjah to achieve. Although Sharjah certainly has a solid and historical base of innovation, it has been relatively low key in broader regional and global promotion of this history. An innovation district usually emerges naturally in a location where there is density, vibrancy and organic growth. In order to kick-start something similar, a concerted global marketing campaign would be required to spread the innovation story and establish a global reputation in innovation, a requirement to form an innovation district.

For many of these drivers Sharjah rates medium to low on the readiness level, with cost and barriers rating medium to high:

• Local housing available at multiple price points

• Transport upgrades to the Central Business District and surrounding communities

4.1 Suburban Innovation Park | 4.2 Suburban Innovation Park

LOCAL HOUSING AVAILABLE AT AFFORDABLE PRICES IN SHARJAH

READINESS LEVEL OF MEDIUM MEANS SEVERAL DRIVERS CAN BE ACHIEVED, INCLUDING, IN-DEPTH EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE OF PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT


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• Sector-specific development agencies or management teams

• A site with high quality broadband and power systems

• Spaces that offer flexibility for large firms to expand and start-ups to grow on

• Achieving high sustainability

• A municipal economic development strategy focused on business expansion and creation rather than incentives

Of the three viable options presented here, the innovation district is the one that requires the most resources and planning. However, if it were to be a true aspiration for Sharjah, then the drivers listed above should be planned for in a long-term business case and strategy for on-going development of the park. FUTURE SCENARIOS & UNSUITABLE SITES

Other innovation location types may be suitable for the SRTI park at a future date. Whilst an ‘innovation

triangle’ could be a future ambition for the SRTI Park, it will require work to establish and support the complimentary industries and to ensure that appropriately efficient transport links exist between the ‘points’ of the triangle. A review of the innovation landscape for Sharjah failed to identify appropriate existing clusters that SRTI Park could work with to form an ‘innovation corridor’, although as Sharjah’s free zones mature this may be a possibility. It should be recognised that no location is permanently fixed. It should be expected, and indeed encouraged, that the SRTI Park will change and evolve.

CONCLUSION

From the three most viable innovation location types presented in this chapter an innovation campus appears to be the logical choice, given the location adjacent to Sharjah’s world class universities. However, as is currently planned, a suburban innovation park presents a good opportunity for the SRTI Park to develop independently of the university whilst still maintaining strong academic R&D ties. Lastly, an innovation district would pose the greatest amount of work in cost, barriers and readiness to achieve but is one that could be planned for in the growth and progression of the park.

4.3 Innovation District

FROM THE THREE MOST VIABLE INNOVATION LOCATION TYPES PRESENTED IN THIS CHAPTER AN INNOVATION CAMPUS APPEARS TO BE THE LOGICAL CHOICE, GIVEN THE LOCATION ADJACENT TO SHARJAH’S WORLD CLASS UNIVERSITIES

05 CREATING A WORLD CLASS TESTBED

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05 CREATING A WORLD CLASS TESTBEDTHE SRTI PARK SHOULD ADOPT LEADING TESTBED DESIGN PRINCIPLES TO INFORM ITS INFRASTRUCTURE FROM THE BASE UP.


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This chapter provides a template for creating a world class testbed for the SRTI Park. Positioning the SRTI Park as a testbed shows a willingness to experiment and invest in what’s needed to take the lead.

A testbed provides physical or virtual environments where companies, academia and other organisations can collaborate in developing, testing and introducing new products, services, processes or solutions.

The SRTI Park can incorporate from the start the infrastructure required for a cutting-edge testbed rather than retrofitting existing buildings and infrastructure, which is a significant advantage over other locations.

INITIATING NEW TESTBEDS IN SHARJAH

A systematic yet flexible process should govern a testbed. Proposals for new testbeds should start with an innovative idea and a proposal to identify testbed concepts, goals, value, potential partners and commercial viability. Several innovation locations around the world – including the Berlin Urban Tech Republic, the Rotterdam RDM/M4H, and Helsinki’s Kalasatama – are well on their way to adopting this approach. Should the SRTI Park go ahead with this approach it should closely observe these innovation locations and their activity in terms of scale, finance, ownership models, regulatory system and mix of users. Proposals for testbeds should include:

• A theme or focus sector: What is the testbed proposing to test? This is necessary to convene the ecosystem and bring together a critical mass of infrastructure and stakeholders. In the case of the SRTI Park, these sectors should potentially be the following:

• Water technology - predictive maintenance technology, demand management, cost-saving energy management

TESTBEDS FORM AN IMPORTANT PART OF AN INNOVATION LOCATION: MANY OF THE BEST PRODUCTS ARE DEVELOPED WITH USERS IN THE REAL WORLD.

• Renewable energy - ‘smart grids’, virtual power plants, improved responsiveness

• Transport and Logistics - embedded technology to facilitate autonomous vehicles

• Production design and architecture - people and space tracking and management, ergonomic principles

• Environmental technology - sensing of environmental factors to feed decision making, actuated building management to optimise conditions

• Digitisation - key government and corporate services automated and digitised, unlocking potential savings and new processes

A SMOG FREE TOWER PLACED IN THE ROTTERDAM MAKERS DISTRICTCREDIT: STUDIO ROOSEGAARDE. HTTPS://WWW.STUDIOROOSEGAARDE.NET/PROJECT/SMOG-FREE-TOWER


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• A business case: Testbeds should target applications with potential to deliver a practical path to economic impact. The goal is to ensure the testbed interests the innovation community by addressing current business issues or being able to generate future revenues.

• Realistic deliverables and milestones: Results include technologies, best practice requirements for standards for the testbed itself, which can then be taken into production to generate value and further innovations.

• Impact assessment: Defining purpose, expected outcome, and success criteria. A baseline measurement should be proposed against which success and impact can be measured. The impacts must be determined as more than just project outputs.

DESIGN PRINCIPLES FOR TESTBEDS

A cornerstone of a successful innovation testbed is clear engagement and access. Involve relevant asset owners as early as possible during the planning phase to secure buy-in, gain access to assets and smoothly deploy demonstration equipment.

A testbed requires unique finance and governance structures. Testbed setup should include a steering group for the SRTI Park which would serve as the advisory body for testbed proposals. Additionally, creating advisory boards comprising relevant stakeholders from the wider ecosystem (such as regulators, policy officials, etc.) will ensure demonstrators are exposed to current and anticipated market conditions.

Establishing the right capabilities and skills requires investment in benefits realisation and change management capabilities to ensure that all stakeholder aims and expectations are aligned. The testbed should be staffed with the relevant practitioners to enable non-expert users to use the facilities. These environments are rarely able to operate under a ‘plug and play’ model.

Measuring and scaling successful solutions should be a core aspect of the SRTI Park. As such, appropriate knowledge-transfer mechanisms should be put in place to allow easy replication of demonstrably successful solutions. It is critical to the longevity of a testbed

to work with partners that can provide a pipeline of commercial opportunities beyond the demonstrator period and to create and maintain good documentation as the testbed evolves.

A triumvirate of accuracy in representation of the ‘real system’, replicability to give consistent results, and safety to contain the testing within the testbed are crucial principles of testbed design.

The most obvious and most discussed asset is the provision of connectivity and backhaul. Typically, this will include a range of radio-based networks and fibre connectivity. Attention needs to be put into cost, ownership and access rights to end-devices such as user terminals & IoT sensors/ actuators. Physical equipment may be costly but it also brings benefits to the testbed. Alternative options are virtualised environments.

Data platforms and policies need to be a foundational component of any testbed. Define a strategy and quantify use-cases so measurements can be planned, customised and considered in advance of deployment. Without this, outputs are floods of raw data and making them useful in business or other contexts can become challenging. A toolset for data analysis consists of real-time analytics, modelling services, open APIs, shared data, and data modeling. Testbeds should establish clear policies around: IP ownership for data arising from the testbed and its security, including access to the testbed and data.

Three fundamental things innovators in a successful testbed should have access to, and so should be part of the SRTI park, are: ubiquitous connectivity, shared data hub and shared development ecosystem.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The SRTI Park should aim to use the testbed design principles from the base infrastructure up, which will attract innovative companies to the park, as well as into the wider region. These companies and testbeds should be within the themes already targeted for the SRTI Park, allowing for a high degree of interaction, as well as building interest, between those companies who operate from the park and the testbeds. The testbed should combine ambitious new technologies and innovative business models to address social and economic challenges.

06 GLOBAL COMPARISON OF INNOVATION LOCATION

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06 GLOBAL COMPARISON OF INNOVATION LOCATIONSSHARJAH’S INNOVATION STORY SHOULD BE A CLEAR, COORDINATED VALUE PROPOSITION DEVELOPED BY LEADING STAKEHOLDERS IN THE EMIRATE AND SHARED WITH GLOBAL PARTNERS.


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Compared to sister emirates of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Sharjah remains a hidden gem in the wider offer of the UAE.

This chapter compares Sharjah’s current innovation ecosystem against a sample set of ten global cities, using the innovation location drivers and ecosystem conditions as points of comparison. This helps identify Sharjah’s current strengths and gaps in a global context.

The ten cities were selected based on a combination of factors, including:

• Global leadership in innovation established through successful innovation locations

• Past or anticipated partnership potential with Sharjah or UAE

• Cities undergoing similar economic transformation as Sharjah

• Diversity in terms of regional location as well as economic development

We’ve chosen specific innovation locations in these cities that represent, as much as possible, a broad mix of the types of innovation locations that are either newly created or well-established, and that may or may not have proved to be successful yet.

The comparison cities are: Johannesburg (South Africa), Barcelona (Spain), Bangalore (India), Shenzhen (China), Marseille (France), Delft (Netherlands), Cambridge (UK), Boston (US), Singapore and Philadelphia (US).

The data used to assess performance is a combination of desktop research from public sources such as the Global Liveability Index, Global Innovation Index, government statistics, web articles and research papers, and interviews and discussions with relevant stakeholders.

SHARJAH HAS A STRONG INNOVATION UNIQUE SELLING POINT (USP). IT NOW NEEDS TO SHARE ITS JOURNEY AND EXPERTISE MORE BROADLY WITH CITIES AROUND THE WORLD.

PEER CITIES (CITIES IN THE SAME PHASE OF ‘JOURNEY TO INNOVATION’ AS SHARJAH)

INVESTOR CITIES (CITIES ACTIVELY INVESTING IN INNOVATION)

GLOBAL BEST PRACTICE CITIES (CITIES TO LEARN FROM AND PARTNER WITH)

The comparison groups the cities by their relevance and potential relationship to Sharjah. The groups are: peer cities, potential investor cities, and global best practice cities. These groups can help Sharjah better evaluate any future partnership, investment and learning opportunities.

It is important to note that the following city profiles focus on specific innovation locations within the cities rather than the overall city innovation ecosystem and journey. The innovation location type covered in each profile may not represent the most successful innovation centre or growth factor for the city. Rather, these location types have been chosen to represent a wide array of innovation location types from The Logic of Innovation Locations research. In addition, as each city is unique, the city profiles vary somewhat in their structure.

• JOHANNESBURG

• DELFT

• MARSEILLE

• SHENZHEN

• BANGALORE

• BARCELONA

• PHILADELPHIA

• CAMBRIDGE

• BOSTON

• SINGAPORE

06 GLOBAL COMPARISON OF INNOVATION LOCATION 6.1 Peer Cities - Cities to Grow With

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Peer Cities are those that perform at a similar level as Sharjah against the six thematic innovation drivers. These cities can be considered to be in the same phase of ‘innovation journey’ as Sharjah and can either serve as potential targets for expansion for Sharjah’s innovative companies or potential partners for joint R&D and testing. These cities include: Johannesburg, Delft and Marseille.

6.1 PEER CITIES - CITIES TO GROW WITH

MARSEILLE

JOHANNESBURG

DELFT


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The Gauteng province has a growing education and research base with eight universities, nine science councils and a robust private sector. Gauteng is also home to Africa’s first internationally accredited Science and Technology Park (the Innovation Hub) located in Pretoria.

THE TSHIMOLOGONG DIGITAL INNOVATION PRECINCT

Johannesburg is home to the Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct, established in 2016 through a partnership between the Wits University, the Jo’burg Centre for Software Engineering (JCSE), the LINK Centre, and the City of Jo’burg. The hub offers facilities and training in coding and app design, mentorship, facilitating tech startups, a tech accelerator programme and postgraduate degree programmes. In its early stages the Precinct attracted the IBM Research laboratory, a $61-million ten-year project. The lab works in collaboration with the Wits University, the country’s Department of Trade and Industry and Department of Science and Technology on data-driven healthcare, digital urban ecosystems and astronomy. KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

In July 2018, Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct launched a Digital Content Hub. The Hub acts as an incubator of innovative and creative audio-visual content4 and was launched in partnership with Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS), using a three-year €950,000 grant from the AFD.

The precinct hosts one of the two IBM Research laboratories in Africa. Other large companies, including Microsoft, the South African telecommunications group Telkom and Barclays Africa bank have also joined as strategic partnersvi. Ten strategic founding partners have contributed around ZAR 5 million (US$340,000)vii each into the precinct which plans to incubate high-tech

startups, commercialise research and develop high-level skills among students, working professionals and unemployed youth.

The Precinct’s success can be attributed to a combination of factors including: its multi-stakeholder approach, proximity to inner city, a convivial mixed-use setting that allows multiple generations to interact and helping organisations re-imagine their role and create bridges to the real economy.

JOHANNESBURG (GAUTENG PROVINCE), SOUTH AFRICA

6.1 Peer Cities - Cities to Grow With






39

KEY LEARNINGS FOR THE SRTI PARK

Since 2016 the Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct has successfully attracted global businesses as partners. The Precinct’s focus on the ICT sector has helped it maintain a targeted approach to R&D projects as well as attracting businesses. The Wits University continues to play a key role in supporting and growing the Precinct. The SRTI Park can potentially collaborate with the Wits University to learn further from its experience about the challenges and nuances of successfully running a university-led innovation centre and attracting large private sector investments and companies to the park.

As indicated by the key stakeholders in the table, Jo’burg has benefitted from a confluence of diverse institutions, a critical mass of researchers in one well contained physical space, and a good mix of larger, established companies, and small innovative SMEs. This is replicated in Global Best Practice cities like Cambridge. As the SRTI park is already situated close to the variety of institutions in University City, with its large population of students and researchers, the SRTI Park is well-placed to create a similar fertile environment for innovation by attracting larger businesses to establish R&D hubs within the park.


I CERTAINLY BELIEVE THAT WITS IS A MAJOR ELEMENT IN OUR POTENTIAL SUCCESS. IT ALSO HAS HELPED IN ATTRACTING OTHER SIGNIFICANT SPONSORS AND PARTNERS INTO THE ECOSYSTEM – PARTICULARLY IBM– Prof. Barry Dwolatzky, Professor of Software Engineering in the Wits School of Electrical and Information Engineering, 2016

JOHANNESBURG INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM: EXAMPLES OF KEY STAKEHOLDERS

UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND (THE WITS UNIVERSITY)

UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG (UJ)

UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA

JO’BURG CENTRE FOR SOFTWARE ENGINEERING (JCSE), WITS UNIVERSITY

CISCO

TERACO

MMI HOLDINGS

IBM RESEARCH LABORATORY

CITY OF JOHANNESBURG METROPOLITAN MUNICIPALITY

GAUTENG PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT

GAUTENG PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT - DEPARTMENT OF E-GOVERNMENT

GAUTENG PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT - PLANNING DIVISION

AGENCE FRANÇAISE DE DÉVELOPPEMENT (AFD)

VANTAGE CAPITAL FUND MANAGERS

GROVEST VENTURE CAPITAL COMPANY

MUSA CAPITAL

TSHIMOLOGONG DIGITAL INNOVATION PRECINCT

THE HOPE FACTORY SAICA

THE DIGITAL HUB, PRETORIA

ACADEMIA AND PUBLIC RESEARCH INSTITUTES

PRIVATE BUSINESSESGOVERNMENT INVESTORS INCUBATORS/INNOVATION LOCATION


40

Delft is now a leading European ‘student city’ and home to a growing tech hub. The city hosts the largest and oldest Dutch tech university, Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) and, similarly to Sharjah, is home to a large student population (10-15% of its 100,000 inhabitants are students).

Delft’s university population and successful Yes!Delft incubator has meant Delft is now a source of talent for the larger trade, innovation, and financial centres of Rotterdam and Amsterdam. More broadly, the South Holland region that includes the cities of Leiden, Rotterdam, The Hague and Delft is home to the largest life sciences & health cluster in the Netherlands. The cluster hosts several large pharma multinationals, innovative SMEs and startups that work closely together with government, universities and research institutes.

YES!DELFT INCUBATOR

Delft boasts of world leading incubators designed using Innovation Hub concept including YES!Delft and UtrechtInc, both affiliated to TU Delft. This means there’s a strong academic-innovation-to-commercial-offering ecosystem in the city.

There is a strong emphasis on research programs funded by public-private initiatives that create strong links with companies that can utilise TU Delft’s research facilities while creating strong links with alumni and academic staff so that they can start their own technology enterprise.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

YES!Delft has supported more than 200 technology companies in the last 12 years. As a technical university TU Delft is the top Dutch university, third European university and 42nd overall in the World Reputation Rankings of Times Higher Education magazine. This region-wide success of fostering innovation can be broadly attributed to distinct specialisms and

collaborative relationships between the different knowledge anchors and universities in the region. The Leiden University, TU Delft and Erasmus University Rotterdam have a history of collaborating in many fields of education, research and valorisation. For example, the Medical Delta (a consortium of the three universities) and public-sector bodies and businesses enable collaboration between medical-technological field researchers. Secondly, high quality public transport and proximity to a global hub airport has proven instrumental in the overall success of the region’s innovation ecosystem.

DELFT, NETHERLANDS






41


TU Delft has created a strong academic-innovation-to-commerciality ecosystem in Delft. It’s established and developed a strong university-led incubator in order to achieve this. The SRTI Park could potentially liaise with TU Delft and its incubators YES!Delft and UtrechtInc to further understand the nuances, benefits and challenges of establishing its own startup incubators or working more effectively and closely with other incubators in Sharjah.

Delft has benefitted from an accessible global hub airport – Amsterdam’s Schipol International Airport – to which it has frequent, low-cost, highly efficient public transport links. The SRTI park benefits from close proximity to both Sharjah International Airport and Dubai International Airport. It would be beneficial to explore opportunities for establishing direct links between the airports and the park so international visitors and VCs can easily access the SRTI Park.

6.1 Peer Cities - Cities to Grow With06 GLOBAL COMPARISON OF INNOVATION LOCATION

DELFT INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM: EXAMPLES OF KEY STAKEHOLDERS

TU DELFT

IHE DELFT

DSM DELFT

LEIDEN UNIVERSITY (LEIDEN)

ERASMUS UNIVERSITY ROTTERDAM

NIGHTBALANCE

TERACO

ZERO DEGREES

APPLIKON BIOTECHNOLOGY B.V.

DYNAMIC EAR COMPANY B.V.

GEMEENTE DELFT (CITY COUNCIL)

KAMER VAN KOOPHANDEL (CHAMBER OF COMMERCE)

DELFT INVESTMENTS

MAINPORT INNOVATION FUND

UNIIQ

ROBOVALLEY

INNOVATIONQUARTER

YES!DELFT

TU DELFT SCIENCE PARK

DELFT ENTERPRISES

MEDICAL DELTA

LIFE SCIENCES HUB



CREDIT: YES!DELFT. HTTP://WWW.YESDELFT.COM/PRESSKIT/

VIEW ON THE CAMPUS OF THE DELFT UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, NETHERLANDS

06 GLOBAL COMPARISON OF INNOVATION LOCATION 6.1 Peer Cities - Cities to Grow With

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Aix-Marseille-Provence is the third largest metropolitan area in France by populationviii and the core European centre for the Technopole concept, under which high-tech manufacturing and information-based industries are co-located.

At the heart of Marseille’s innovation ecosystem is Aix-Marseille University (AMU). This is the largest francophone university with around 90,000 students, the second largest pool of researchers in France and multiple respected Ecoles (specialist graduate schools). Marseille is also the home to three main technopoles: Château-Gombert (technological innovations), Luminy (biotechnology) and La Belle de Mai (multimedia).

THE CHÂTEAU-GOMBERT TECHNOLOGY PARK, MARSEILLE

The Château-Gombert Technology Park is the leading French cluster in mechanics-energetics research after Paris. Closely linked to the region’s key industrial projects such as the Henri Fabre project, the Château-Gombert Technology Park hosts eight laboratories and 15 technology platforms open to cooperative projects with any innovative company. Technopoles combine characteristics of out-of-town Innovation Zones with university-linked Innovation Campuses.

With a consortium of key regional stakeholders, the area recently identified destinations with which it wants to forge closer ties in coming years. The UAE, including Sharjah, forms one of the six high-potential destinations identified for this purpose.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

The metropolitan area is home to large global companies and research labs across IT, transport, energy, healthcare and sports sectors. Some of these big anchor companies include ST Microelectronics, TelFrance, Gemalto and Dassault Systems, Airbus Helicopter, Daher Aerospace and Siemens Medical.

Other key indicators include:

• 150 tech companies with annual revenues topping €5m

• A booming digital sector powered by 7,000 companies, annual revenues of €8 billion and some 40,000 jobs

• Three technology centres and five competitiveness clusters

MARSEILLE (AIX MARSEILLE-PROVENCE METROPOLITAN AREA), FRANCE





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With the right collaborations Aix-Marseille University’s research specialisms and human capital can be leveraged by the SRTI Park to nurture its own research capabilities and human capital over the next few years. The Château-Gombert Technology Park offers similar opportunities.

The SRTI Park has the opportunity to proactively engage with the metropolitan area’s regional consortium formed of key regional stakeholders, including the Marseille Provence Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Port of Marseille/Port of Marseille-Fos, Aix-Marseille University, the City of Marseille, the Bouches-du-Rhône Departmental Council, Euroméditerranée and Provence Promotion.


MARSEILLE PROVENCE TECHNOLOGY PARK IN CHÂTEAU-GOMBERT CREDIT: MAP-ARCHITECTURE. HTTP://MAP-ARCHITECTURE.MAPGROUPE.FR/POLE-TECHNOLOGIQUE-DE-CHATEAU-GOMBERT/

MARSEILLE PROVENCE TECHNOLOGY PARK IN CHÂTEAU-GOMBERT CREDIT: MAP-ARCHITECTURE. HTTP://MAP-ARCHITECTURE.MAPGROUPE.FR/POLE-TECHNOLOGIQUE-DE-CHATEAU-GOMBERT/


MARSEILLE INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM: EXAMPLES OF KEY STAKEHOLDERS

AIX-MARSEILLE UNIVERSITY

POLYTECH MARSEILLE

CENTRALE MARSEILLE

CENTRE D’IMMUNOLOGIE DE MARSEILLE-LUMINY

ALBALOGIC

EXOSTIM

ENGINOV

HEREYOUGO

MUNICIPALITY OF AIX-MARSEILLE

MARSEILLE PROVENCE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

PROVENCE PROMOTION

NETANGELS

ANIMA

ACG MANAGMENT

PROVENCE TECHNOLOGIES

LABS SOFTWARE

FABLAB MARSEILLE

CARNOT STAR INSTITUTE



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An Investor City is one gradually moving forward on its innovation journey, performing moderately well on various innovation drivers and ecosystem conditions but currently behind global innovation leaders. These cities are likely to be keen to form partnerships with leading cities, universities, and firms, as well as to expand their innovative businesses into emerging innovation economies such as Sharjah. These cities include: Shenzhen, Bangalore, Barcelona and Philadelphia.

6.2 INVESTOR CITIES – CITIES TO DO BUSINESS WITH

6.2 Investor Cities – Cities to Do Business With06 GLOBAL COMPARISON OF INNOVATION LOCATION

PHILADELPHIA

BANGALORE

BARCELONA

SHENZHEN


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Shenzhen is seen as a global pioneer in several high-tech sectors, including 4G, DNA sequencing, metamaterials and 3D displays. Investing more than 4% of its GDP annually in research and development the city also leads among all of China’s medium to large-sized cities in terms of total international patent filings and invention patent ownership per 10,000 people. The city’s innovation-driven sectors, such as fintech, biotechnology and new energy represent 40% of Shenzhen’s economy — the highest level of any city in Chinaix,x.

The city is home to around 8,000 high-tech enterprises, including a number of globally-renowned enterprises such as ZTE, Huawei Technologies, Tencent and Apple’s Chinese operations. Another major advantage for startups in Shenzhen is several quick-prototyping workshops that enable them to test the market before mass production. The city also has a strong financial market with several angel investors and venture capitals operating in the city.

HONG KONG-SHENZHEN INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY PARK, CHINA

Occupying a strategic location in Hong Kong and bordering Shenzhen, the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park offers four times as much land area as Hong Kong Science Park. This gives Hong Kong’s innovation and technology ecosystem the space to grow, proximity to supply chains, manufacturing capabilities and talent pool across the border. By the typology of the Logic of Innovation Locations this is an Innovation Zone.

The Park is also strategically significant for global R&D companies as it helps them capitalise on the competitive advantages of both Hong Kong and Shenzhen and accelerate their access to the Chinese mainland market. The technology park provides an array of facilities and services including advanced equipment, software platforms and professional engineers to support R&D

SHENZHEN, CHINA

13,000+Working population

680+Partner Companies

75%Incubation graduates still in business

HK$1.2BInvestment raised in f iscal year 2017/18

6XFund raised in incubates in 2017/18 compared to 2016/17

50Partnerships facilitated between park companies and major corporations since 2015

1STUnicorn-SenseTime

540+Incubation Graduates since inception

22Countries of origin for partner companies


6.2 Investor Cities – Cities to do Business With




46

projects of its partner companies. These span biomedical technology, robotics garage, data, IoT and connectivity, investment, market and industry adoption, business support, talent attraction, innovation and technology fund internship programmes, and stem education.


Shenzhen has built its innovation and R&D ecosystem based on a highly competitive industrial landscape that encourages small and large companies to constantly innovate their products and speed to market.

Shenzhen’s local government has proactively launched fiscal and non-fiscal policies encouraging innovative startups to setup in Shenzhen. For instance, the Shenzhen Municipal Government ‘peacock campaign’, a program to attract tech talent, provided millions of Yuan in capital support to startups in high tech sectors. A maximum of RMB 100 million (US$15 million) per award is available for teams with an average award of

RMB 20 million (US$3 million). Since 2011, the program has supported more than 1,200 skilled entrepreneurs, half of whom had overseas study background. Indeed, people with overseas study backgrounds are among the many startup founders in Shenzhen, including those of high-tech enterprises like DJI, Kuang-Chi, Royole and BGI.

In addition, visa application procedures were recently relaxed, providing easier access to talented foreign individuals with a simplified, accelerated, and more efficient approval process.

In 2016, Shenzhen attracted a record 10,509 such talented people with financial incentives, housing subsidies and other preferential measuresxi.

The SRTI Park should collaborate with Shenzhen’s local government on creating and encouraging industry clusters within Sharjah. The SRTI Park should also create its own incentive programs aimed at attracting foreign talent and expatriates to launch startups in Sharjah.

SHENZHEN IS THE PREFERRED DESTINATION FOR OVERSEAS RETURNEES TO START THEIR OWN BUSINESSES.– Yang Peng, Head of the Shenzhen Overseas Chinese Returnees Association, March 2017, China Daily

6.2 Investor Cities – Cities to do Business With06 GLOBAL COMPARISON OF INNOVATION LOCATION

SHENZHEN INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM: EXAMPLES OF KEY STAKEHOLDERS

SHENZHEN UNIVERSITY

PEKING UNIVERSITY (SHENZHEN)

SHENZHEN POLYTECHNIC

SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (SUSTECH)

CITYUSRI

HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES

TENCENT HOLDINGS

DJI

UCLan TECHNOLOGY

MUNICIPAL GOVT. OF SHENZHEN

INVEST SHENZHEN

SHENZHEN CAPITAL GROUP

SINOVATION VENTURES

CHINAACCELORATOR

NANSHANYUNGU INNOVATION INDUSTRIAL PARK

TECHSPACE

3WCOFFEE

INNOVALLEY




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Referred to as the Silicon Valley of India and home to a variety of leading tech companies, Bangalore is also linked to education establishments including those for science, management, design and law. Bengaluru’s startup ecosystem, catalysed by the presence of a large pool of talent and knowledge anchors in the city, is valued at $19 billion, approx. 42% of the city’s GDP.

Bangalore’s technology industry is divided into three main clusters, each of which would be characterised as either an Innovation Zone or an Innovation Park: Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), International Tech Park, Bangalore (ITPB), and the Electronics City.

ELECTRONIC CITY IT PARK

The success of Electronic City was instrumental in attracting many of the IT parks across Bangalore. Today Electronics City has a more than 100,000 employees and the offices of homegrown and global IT companies such as Infosys, Wipro, Tech Mahindra and Hewlett Packard (HP). It also provides testbed-as-a-service to companies based in Electronic City. Some KPIs include: hosting 40%xii of the IT companies present in India, 1,800-2,300 active tech startups, an IT outsourcing industry valued at $150 billion, 200,000 new jobs created annually employing nearly 10 million people. Bengaluru’s startup ecosystem is valued at $19 billion, one of the largest globally.

KEY SUCCESS FACTORS

Bangalore’s state (Karnataka) government announced its IT policy in 1997, transforming the city from a retirement destination to the leading IT centre in Asia. It now has over 130 multinational IT companies and around 1,000 software export companies. However, the foundation to the city’s innovation ecosystem was laid long before with large military institutions in the city catalysing talent development in the city, particulary in STEM fields. In addition, several public research-based universities and institutions, such as the Indian Institute of

Science (IISc) and the Indian Institute of Nano Science & Technology, and renowned public business schools, like the Indian Institute of Management, continue to act as a draw for high-calibre national and international students.

A well-established technology sector with more than 100 R&D centres means the city continues to attract a large number of highly-skilled tech worker-migrants. As home to more than 500 companies offering back-office and outsourcing services, specially in IT services, the city enjoys a legacy of IT talent that continues to grow and develop its skills based on evolving market needs.

BANGALORE (BENGALURU), INDIA






48

KEY LEARNINGS FOR THE SRTI PARK Bangalore offers lessons in supporting cross-sector integration. At Electronics City public, private and academic technology experts sit on the autonomous board that runs the park. The board uses public sector and government support and sector expertise to attract organisations to test products solving live problems experienced by residents of Bangalore and across India.

Bangalore shows how leveraging the diversity of its strong education and research institutions can attract high calibre students who, alongside the well-established investor-base in the city, continue to play a key role in fostering the city’s innovation economy.


THE SUCCESS OF ELECTRONIC CITY WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN ATTRACTING MANY OF THE IT PARKS ACROSS BANGALORE


BANGALORE INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM: EXAMPLES OF KEY STAKEHOLDERS

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE (IISC)

JAWAHARLAL NEHRU CENTRE FOR ADVANCED SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH (JNCASR)

CENTRE FOR CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR PLATFORMS (C-CAMP)

NATIONAL CENTRE FOR BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, TATA INSTITUTE OF FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF NANO SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

INDIAN SPACE RESEARCH ORGANISATION SATELLITE CENTRE

BOSCH BUSINESS SOLUTIONS

INFOSYS

BIOCON

CISCO SYSTEMS

HP

SAMSUNG R&D INSTITUTE

BENGALURU MUNICIPAL CORPORATION: BRUHAT BENGALURU MAHANAGARA PALIKE (BBMP)

GOVERNMENT OF KARNATAKA MINISTRY OF LARGE & MEDIUM SCALE INDUSTRIES & COMMERCE, IT, BT & ST

DEPARTMENT OF E GOVERNANCE, KARNATAKA

ACCEL PARTNERS

ARTIMAN VENTURES

ASCENT CAPITAL ADVISORS

INDOUS VENTURE PARTNERS

BESSEMER VENTURE PARTNER

NEXUS VENTURE PARTNERS

ELECTRONIC CITY

K-TECH INNOVATION HUB

IIIT – BANGALORE INNOVATION CENTRE

INTERNATIONAL TECH PARK, BANGALORE (ITPB)

NASSCOM 10000 STARTUPS

BANGALORE ALPHA LAB




49

A pioneer ‘Smart City’ and one of the most dynamic cities in the field of innovation, Barcelona holds many lessons for those who wish to look into this model of development. Home to more than 450,000 companies and 34% of Spanish start-upsxiii, Barcelona offers a diverse local business ecosystem with a mix of traditional sectors such as manufacturing and innovative, knowledge-intensive industries including: ICT, media, biotechnology and life sciences, sustainability and circular economy, aeronautics and agri-food.

The city currently hosts six public universities, two private universities, international-standard business schools and a growing number of technology and knowledge transfer centres.

22@BARCELONA INNOVATION DISTRICT

Initiated in 2000, the 22@Barcelona project is a large-scale regeneration project to transform 200 hectares of industrial land into an innovative district offering cutting-edge infrastructure for the strategic concentration of knowledge-intensive industries. Recognising the potential of Sant Martí – an extensive area that could be redeveloped, conveniently located only 3 km from the city centre – Barcelona City Council approved an ambitious regeneration project to transform it into the new knowledge hub of the city.

KEY SUCCESS FACTORS AND PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

• Physical infrastructure transformation: Investment of 180 million euros into the infrastructure required by the innovation district.

• Mixed-use development: Providing workplaces, residential areas (including social housing), leisure facilities and new green places.

• Creation of four industry clusters: Focusing on key sectors such as ICT, Media, Bio-Medical, and Energy. Each cluster has a dedicated locality within the 22@Barcelona innovation district.

• An estimated 4,500 new companies have moved to the district since 2000 including more than 56,000 new workers, half of them with university studies. Five universities have also relocated to the district.

• Large companies such as Telefónica or Isdin have located their R&D departments in 22@Barcelona. In addition, specialist centres such as the Biomedical Research Park or the Catalan Energy Institute have sought space in or very close to the district.

BARCELONA, SPAIN






50


Barcelona has successfully mobilized and leveraged its strong, pre-existing industrial network, scientific and technological facilities and centres, and academic institutions to create a successful innovation ecosystem that encourages startups and large businesses to undertake R&D in the city. The SRTI park can collaborate with high level stakeholders from places such as Barcelona City Council and District 22@ to learn from their experience of running a collaborative relationship between academia, research facilities, traditional industry and startups.

The SRTI park could also partner with the University of Barcelona, Spain’s leading research university, to deeply understand its collaboration mechanisms with the private sector and Barcelona Science Park.


TORRE AGBAR AND TECHNOLOGICAL DISTRICT IN BARCELONA, SPAIN. THIS 38-STOREY TOWER WAS DESIGNED BY THE FAMOUS ARCHITECT JEAN NOUVEL


BARCELONA INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM: EXAMPLES OF KEY STAKEHOLDERS

BARCELONA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (BIST)

UNIVERSITY OF BARCELONA (UB)

AUTONOMOUS UNIVERSITY OF BARCELONA (UAB)

HARBOR.SPACE

NATIONAL GENOME ANALYSIS CENTER (CNAG)

INSTITUTE FOR BIOENGINEERING OF CATALONIA (IBEC)

INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH IN BIOMEDICINE (IRB BARCELONA)

AIRBNB

DELIBERRY

TELEFÓNICA

FINTECA

AMAZON

KING

ACCIÓ - CATALONIA TRADE & INVESTMENT DEPTT.’S AGENCY FOR BUSINESS COMPETITIVENESS

BARCELONA CITY COUNCIL

BARCELONA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

ACTIVE PARTNERS

ENISA9

YSIOS CAPITAL

NUCLIO

NAUTA CAPITAL

CAIXA CAPITAL RISC

BARCELONA TECH CITY

BARCELONA BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH PARK

DISTRICT 22@

EDIFICIO MEDIA-TIC

PIER HEALTH

BARCELONA SCIENCE PARK




51

Based on its total annual public and academic research expenditures, Philadelphia ranks among the top 10 metros in the USA. It’s home to four major research universities, several highly ranked liberal arts colleges and a cluster of powerhouse medical centres attracting both talent and industry leaders. An estimated 90,000 students graduated annually from the region’s colleges and universities, creating a strong innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The city has successfully positioned itself as a leading life science hub by combining three things: longstanding research expertise in therapeutics, clinical trials and health informatics, a strong private-sector in pharmaceuticals, and an influx of venture capital. There are also growing digital health, financial services, advanced manufacturing, media, engineering, automation technology, and computer science clusters.

PHILADELPHIA INNOVATION DISTRICT

Philadelphia’s innovation district is 1.5-square miles, connecting University City and western Center City. The district’s anchor institutions include the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Medicine, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Drexel University and the Wistar Institute. Major firms located in the area include Comcast, IBX, FMC and PECO. The district’s innovation ecosystem is based on a robust network of scientific organisations and funders such as the Drexel Ventures, Benjamin’s Desk, the University City Science Centre (UCSC), Robin Hood Ventures and First Round Capital.

The district has seen the IPO of $1B company Spark Therapeutics, arrival of world-class accelerator DreamIt Ventures, Penn’s investments in a tech transfer centre and innovation campus, and Drexel’s investments in the country’s first standalone school for entrepreneurship and a live/work Innovation Neighbourhood next to 30th Street Station.


• Philadelphia as a city has a strong brand identity, particularly as an industrial centre. Its brand as a centre for innovation is distinct from other innovation centres in the US, like Silicon Valley, in that it is steeped in the history of a city associated with labour and industry and aligns its innovative work ethic to this. This is a brand that has been adopted by city officials.

• The district is home to several global leaders in health care and life sciences, with strong academic and research

PHILADELPHIA, US

6.2 Potential Investor Cities – Cities to do Business With





52

capacity. According to Brookings, Philadelphia district concentrates 74% of total research funding in the city.

• There is a growing concentration of technology-intensive businesses in the area. Tech sector employment has grown by 77% since 2000, faster than the national average.

• Philadelphia’s Innovation district has experienced substantial job growth and revitalization in recent years. The District leads Philadelphia’s job growth with 75,000 jobs — a 79% increase in middle-to-high-wage positions since 2008 — and 30,000 jobs per square mile. The growing number of residents and entrepreneurs enjoy proximity to major regional transport hubs, commercial centres, and high- quality places.


Philadelphia has successfully positioned itself as a leading life science hub by combining three things: longstanding research expertise in therapeutics, clinical trials and health informatics, a strong private-sector in pharmaceuticals, and an influx of venture capital.

The SRTI Park should partner with universities such as the University of Pennsylvania and the Drexel University to further strengthen and streamline Sharjah’s own university research strengths into solutions and services than can be commercialised.

6.2 Investor Cities – Cities to do Business With06 GLOBAL COMPARISON OF INNOVATION LOCATION

PHILADELPHIA’S INNOVATION DISTRICT

OLD MAIN BUILDING AT PENN STATE UNIVERSITY

PHILADELPHIA INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM: EXAMPLES OF KEY STAKEHOLDERS

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

DREXEL UNIVERSITY

TEMPLE UNIVERSITY

THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY (TJU)

THE WISTAR INSTITUTE

JPMORGAN CHASE

BARCLAYS

SAP

COMCAST

JOHNSON & JOHNSON

CITY OF PHILADELPHIA

THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FOR GREATER PHILADELPHIA

SELECT GREATER PHILADELPHIA COUNCIL

CEO COUNCIL FOR GROWTH

DREAMIT VENTURES

ROBIN HOOD VENTURES

BEN FRANKLIN TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS

FIRST ROUND CAPITAL

COMCAST VENTURES

THE PENNOVATION CENTRE

BUSINESS CENTRE FOR ENTREPRENEURIAL AND SOCIAL ENTERPRISE

QUORUM ENTREPRENEURIAL HUB

1776 (FORMERLY KNOWN AS BENJAMIN’S DESK)



53

6.3 Global Best Practice Cities – Cities to Learn From

Cities ranking highly on the benchmarking analysis are grouped as Global Best Practice cities. These include Boston, Cambridge and Singapore. These cities build on the foundations of well-established innovation practices and mature entrepreneurial ecosystems. They have fostered their respective industrial or university-led economies into innovation economies, offering learnings from their journeys to innovation.

6.3 GLOBAL BEST PRACTICE CITIES – CITIES TO LEARN FROM


BOSTON

CAMBRIDGE

SINGAPORE


54

Historically centred around the University of Cambridge, the city of Cambridge is now the base for the largest technology cluster in Europe. Over 4,700 knowledge-intensive firms are located in the city, employing over 60,000 people and generating more than £12 billion (US$ 15.6 billion) in revenue. Cambridge’s key strengths include its world-renowned universities, research institutes, investors, incubators, accelerators, financiers, professional advisors, consultancies and networks. These strengths all operate in a distinct atmosphere of entrepreneurship, collaboration, accessibility and proximity. Cambridge performs particularly high on ‘university appetite for capacity building and risky research’.

Cambridge is rich in deep science and technology companies, of which a majority can trace their origins or founders to research at the University of Cambridge. The city is now home to more than 60 global companies that have opened their research labs or acquired companies in the area.

The foundation of the modern Cambridge cluster began in the 1960s with Cambridge Consultants, formed to “put the brains of Cambridge University at the disposal of industry.” While Cambridge was already home to several well-established engineering firms, such as the Cambridge Scientific Instrument Company, the Pye Group, and Marshall of Cambridge, the cluster saw rapid growth after the Cambridge Science Park was opened by Trinity College in 1970. Between 1960 and 1969, Cambridge saw the 39 new companies, followed by 137 in the 1970s. By 1990, company formations were averaging two per week.

In addition to the Science Park, the Cambridge University and its Colleges have been instrumental in providing the infrastructure and talent enabling the cluster to grow, including St John’s Innovation Centre, Peterhouse Technology Park, the Cambridge Judge Entrepreneurship Centre (including Accelerate Cambridge), and the ideaSpace Enterprise Accelerator.

University graduates, faculty and ideas are key to several companies in the cluster, whether the company is based on University research (spin-out) or founded by a member of the University (startup).

The University also contributes to the growth of the cluster by providing solutions to business problems through consultancy and licensing discoveries to new and existing companies. More than 1,000 IP licensing, consultancy and equity contracts are currently managed by Cambridge Enterprise, the University’s commercialization group.xiv

CAMBRIDGE, UK






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THE LONDON-STANSTED-CAMBRIDGE CORRIDOR

The London-Stansted-Cambridge Corridor (LSCC), currently in its infancy, is designed to become one of the most innovative economic zones in the UK. The Corridor, depending on its performance over the coming years, can provide some essential learnings for the SRTI Park, should it plan to expand into an innovation corridor along with other innovation centers across the UAE.

Spanning 16 local government authorities and three counties, the 100km+ innovation corridor covers the area between London’s Old Street Roundabout, Stansted Airport, and the academic hub of Cambridge and its world-class university. The LSCC is home to various technology-intensive businesses including:

• Global-leaders Microsoft, Amazon and Google

• Education and research institutions such as the University of Cambridge, UCL and Queen Mary University of London

• Science parks

• Successful technology locations

• Affordable sites

A new organisation representing business and councils in the region – London-Stansted-Cambridge Growth Commission – has taken over the development,

promotion and strategic steer of the area covered by the LSCC. In a report published in 2016, the commission sets out a vision to leverage the regional strengths including research excellence, a set of advanced industries characterised by rapid growth and high productivity, a vibrant economy and fast-growing population to transform the London-Stansted-Cambridge Corridor into ‘one of the top five Global knowledge regions by 2036’xv.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORSxvi: High economic and innovation performance: The London Stansted Cambridge Corridor economy is resilient, has consistently grown at faster rates than the UK economy, is strongly entrepreneurial and a key location for knowledge-based innovation, supporting 303,000 jobs in the knowledge economy. The corridor’s productivity is 16% higher than the UK average. Innovation rates are high, as shown by the number of patents associated with the LSCC: between 2002-2011 inventors in the area originated 878 patents per year, equivalent to 12.1 patents per 100,000 residents per year – above the UK average of 9.6.

Talent pool: 66.9% are of the LSCC’s 2.7 million residents are of working age, above the UK average of 63.5%. Various world-leading education institutions are located within the corridor, providing the area with highly qualified experts. As a result, 44.1% of working-age residents are qualified to at least Level 4 (degree level and above). This was well above the UK average of 35.8%.


1971(20,200)

1981(25,100)

1991(34,900)

2001(46,200)

2009(48,000)

SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS

HI-TECH JOBS

YEAR

TELECOMS

COMPUTING

INDUSTRIAL INKJET


SOFTWARE

BIOSCIENCES

COMPUTING

INDUSTRIAL INKJET


SOFTWARE

TELECOMS

COMPUTING

INDUSTRIAL INKJET

WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS


SOFTWARE

BIOSCIENCES

NANOMATERIALS

DRUGS DELIVERY

SENSORS/ACTUATORS

ALTERNATIVE FUELS

CLEANER PROCESSES

MEDICAL ENGINEERING

PHOTOVOLTAICS

DRUG MODELLING

BIOMASS

SENTIENT COMPUTING

EMERGENCE OF HI-TECH CLUSTER IN GREATER CAMBRIDGESO

URCE

: UNI

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Whilst there are multiple learning points and potential partnership opportunities for the SRTI Park, Sharjah and Cambridge already enjoy a close relationship. As a result, we focus here on one learning in particular: commercialisation. At Cambridge University and its colleges, professors are encouraged to seek commercial opportunities as part of their academic position. Academic researchers are encouraged to commercialise and it’s almost expected that most of the leading researchers have a commercial venture while continuing their academic work.

Formal programmes that could offer funding to encourage academics to spend around 20% of their time working on commercial activities, through the SRTI Park establishing partnerships with Sharjah’s universities, would be a highly effective way of creating future focused and highly innovative commercial offerings, while also encouraging cross-pollination of ideas between industry and academia.

6.3 Global Best Practice Cities – Cities to Learn From06 GLOBAL COMPARISON OF INNOVATION LOCATION

RESEARCH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE HAS INSPIRED THE WORLD FOR HUNDRED OF YEARS AS EXEMPLIFIED BY THE WORK OF ISAAC NEWTON, CHARLES DARWIN AND STEPHEN HAWKING. IN THE PAST 60 YEARS THIS HAS BEEN MATCHED BY INCREASING INTEREST AND ENGAGEMENT IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP TO THE POINT WHERE THE VENTURE FIRM ATOMICO SAID IN THEIR 2018 REPORT ‘THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE IS THE TOP SOURCE OF FOUNDERS OF EUROPEAN VENTURE-BACKED STARTUPS.‘– Charles Cotton, Director of Cambridge Enterprise and member of the Board of Trustees of the American University of Sharjah

CAMBRIDGE INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM: EXAMPLES OF KEY STAKEHOLDERS

UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE

ANGLIA RUSKIN UNIVERSITY

CAMBRIDGE ENTERPRISE

CAMBRIDGE NETWORK

CAMBRIDGE CONSULTANTS

CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL

SOUTH CAMBRIDGESHIRE COUNCIL

UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE (TRINITY COLLEGE) (ENTERPRISE FUND)

MARLET

SYNDICATEROOMS

IQ CAPITAL

CAMBRIDGE INNOVATION CAPITAL

CAMBRIDGE SCIENCE PARK

CAMBRIDGE SOCIAL VENTURES

EAGLELABS INNUCBATOR

IDEASPACE

CAMBRIDGE JUDGE ENTREPRENEURSHIP CENTRE



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Boston combines world-class universities with a vibrant and ever-evolving ecosystem of small and large enterprises. Headlines are grabbed by Harvard and MIT but Boston’s education ecosystem is also supported by UMass, Northeastern and a variety of smaller universities. Boston attracts a total of 350,000 students, meaning universities are both major employers and contributors to a dynamic economy. This enables the city to attract venture capital towards innovative SMEs.

Boston has a military legacy, comparable to both Bangalore and Sharjah. According to Pat Larkin of MassTech Boston’s history of working with the Department of Defense, which strives to be at the forefront of innovation, experimentation, and applied research, has resulted in a motivated and highly evolved ecosystem. In this ecosystem research institutions are confident in funding risky research in markets that may not be well-defined because future-scanning stakeholders at a federal level, like the Defense Department, shape their direction according to the IP emerging from these institutions.

BOSTON N2 INNOVATION CORRIDOR

Envisioned as a high-tech hub and a regional business centre, the N2 (n-squared) Innovation Corridor aims to bring back to life a 500-acre area in the suburbs of Boston. It focuses on three priority industries: information technology, professional, scientific and technical services, and biotech and life sciences. The N2 Innovation Corridor consists of two business parks and a commercial area: • Needham Crossing Park: This is where companies

such as TripAdvisor, SharkNinja and BigBelly Solar develop their innovative products and solutions. It is continuously being transformed from a series of underused buildings to a vibrant, mixed-use location with housing, retail and offices that create a robust, innovative community.

• Wells Avenue Office Park: Similar to Needham Crossing, the area will be transformed from a series of light industrial buildings to a location where companies such as CyberArk, Karyopharm can continue to grow their businesses while their employees and the wider community have access to a range of facilities such as retail, leisure buildings, as well as walking, running and biking trails.

• Highland Avenue/Needham Street: Acting as the main commercial area and the heart of the N2 Innovation Corridor, the location will offer a mix of retail offices and housing.


BOSTON, US





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A huge asset of the N2 corridor is the innovation capacity of its surroundings. The area of Newton and Needham has a ratio of 8.98 patents per 1,000 residents. To put into perspective, Massachusetts has a ratio of 1.52, and the average U.S. rate is 1.02.

KEY SUCCESS FACTORS

• Through programming and locations, the N2 Innovation Corridor creates a sense of community among the employees and employers of the area, encouraging interaction and collaborative innovation.

• The N2 Innovation Corridor stakeholders, together with the municipalities as well as state and regional transportation agencies, will ensure that people can get easily to, from and throughout the area. Envisioned projects include the add-a-lane project which will widen the local stretch of Route 128, as well as improved bus connections, pedestrianised zones and dedicated bike lanes.

BOSTON INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM: EXAMPLES OF KEY STAKEHOLDERS


FOR BOSTON AND MASSACHUSETTS THESE RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS ARE A REAL JEWEL - NOT JUST FOR RESEARCH, BUT FOR THEIR ROLE BUILDING SOCIAL NETWORKS, ENGAGING IN ACTIVITIES OR ENTREPRENEURSHIP, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT - THEY HAVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE NOT JUST TO BUILD KNOWLEDGE, BUT THEY HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO DEPLOY IT AS WELL.– Pat Larkin, Deputy Director of MassTech

HARVARD UNIVERSITY

MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (MIT)

BOSTON UNIVERSITY (BU)

UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS MEDICAL SCHOOL (UMASS MEDICAL SCHOOL)

TUFTS UNIVERSITY

BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY

NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY (NEU)

BENTLEY UNIVERSITY

BOSTON COLLEGE (BC)

GENERAL ELECTRIC

TRIPADVISOR

BAIN & COMPANY

SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC

VERTEX PHARMACEUTICALS

PHILIPS

BOSTON CITY COUNCIL

BOSTON PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT AGENCY

MATRIX PARTNERS

SPARK CAPITAL

POLARIS VENTURE PARTNERS

MASSCHALLENGE

BAIN CAPITAL VENTURES

PILLAR

GREENTOWN LABS

SEAPORT INNOVATION DISTRICT

DISTRICT HALL



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6.3 Global Best Practice Cities – Cities to Learn From06 GLOBAL COMPARISON OF INNOVATION LOCATION

• A key component of the N2 Innovation Corridor will be mixed-use areas for convening, co-working, leisure and affordable and varied housing to enable people to live closer to work.


Similar to Sharjah, Boston and Massachusetts are famous for educational institutions. The SRTI park would benefit from encouraging research and testing facilities from Boston to open a location in the SRTI park by offering the incentives associated with free zones and highlighting the high-quality local talent who could make up their workforce.

During interviews, experts in Boston and Cambridge highlighted that industry can be innovative but the future is defined by researchers in universities who are given space to take risks and fail. As such, universities must be able to fund high-risk research. The differentiator in Boston is that the market is considered early to understand what high-risk research is around and what opportunities there are to get on board early. The SRTI park can learn from this by convening a Steering Group where Chief Research Officers and Departmental Research Heads, along with government representatives, VC’s and key industry players can meet to understand the pipeline of innovations and make decisions about funding priorities as products move closer to market.

NORTHLAND INVESTMENT CORPORATION HAS OFFICIALLY UNVEILED ITS PLAN TO TRANSFORM A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF NEEDHAM STREET IN THE N2 INNOVATION DISTRICT INTO 28 ACRES OF RESIDENTIAL, RETAIL AND OFFICE SPACE. CREDIT: NEWTON NEEDHAM REGIONAL CHAMBER. HTTPS://WWW.NNCHAMBER.COM/NEWS/NORTHLAND-UNVEILS-VISION-FOR-NEEDHAM-STREET

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Singapore is internationally recognised as a hub for a wide variety of industry and international trading. As well as a developed financial market, the city-state is also recognised by some as being “the world’s smartest city” (Global Smart City Performance Index 2017), referring to the deployment of technology in the areas of mobility, health, safety and productivity.

Singapore also provides a good example of success from integrating and using non-citizen populations, as approximately 39% of Singapore’s population are either foreign workers, students or ‘permanent residents’.

ONE NORTH, SINGAPORE – SUBURBAN INNOVATION PARKSxvi

Established in 2002 and designated as Singapore’s technological and innovation centre, One North started out as a Biotechnology hub before expanding to include Information Technology and Media.

A re-built park located 9km from Singapore’s CBD and master-planned by the experienced state development agency, JTC, One North accommodates three distinct clusters: life sciences, creative industries, and art/business/technology. Each is located on neighbouring sites. All three clusters host incubation and accelerator facilities integrated with a residential, retail and leisure offer, housing over 100,000 people in total.

In its second development cycle, One North evolved into an explicitly entrepreneurial ecosystem. Block 71, for example, hosts 1,000 people in startups and incubators, with plans for expansion into six blocks in total by 2017.


• One North now hosts 400 leading companies and global institutions, in addition to five institutes of higher learning and corporate universities, 16 world-class public research institutes, and 48 incubators with

over 700 startups. The total talent pool in One North adds up to about 43,000 individuals.

• Around 40 corporate research labs are situated in Biopolis and more are expected. Leading biopharmaceutical companies are co-located with A*STAR research institutes11 at the Biopolis, and engage in regular public-private partnerships. Chugai, one of Japan’s leading biopharmaceutical companies, opened the Chugai Pharmabody Research (CPR) in Biopolis with an investment of $200 million over five years. P&G, a household name in home and personal care,


SINGAPORE





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invested $250 million to build a mega innovation centre in Biopolis – the second of only two such centres in Asia.

• Clear directive from government around priority areas and research topics for innovators in the city. Government agencies supporting innovation use the city’s modern infrastructure and geography as testbeds to launch and test innovations in the city as quickly as possible.


Singapore represents the best practice of the ‘new wave’ of innovation locations not driven by the presence of a specific knowledge anchor. Funding is directed and focused on priority areas, defined by experts in government. If an area for IP or research, particularly future focused or risky research, is outside the priority areas, it will struggle to find funding. Innovation is, therefore, top-down, governed in a way that makes it extremely successful. In many ways, this is the opposite of Boston yet both are thriving innovation locations.

The SRTI Park should partner with Singapore’s key government and public sector bodies – The Centre for Liveable Cities, A*STAR and the RIEC – to better understand best practices for research governance and innovation activity and funding for a set of pre-identified priority sectors.


SINGAPORE INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM: EXAMPLES OF KEY STAKEHOLDERS


NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE (NUS)

NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY (NTU)

SINGAPORE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN (SUTD)

SINGAPORE MANAGEMENT UNIVERSITY (SMU)

SINGAPORE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (SIT)

SINGAPORE UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

CENTRE FOR LIVEABLE CITIES

AIRBUS

COCA COLA

CHEVRON ORONITE

DHL

VISA

TAKEDA

PROCTER & GAMBLE

SIEMENS

CHANGI AIRPORT GROUP

RESEARCH, INNOVATION AND ENTERPRISE COUNCIL (RIEC)

NATIONAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION (NRF) BOARD

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BOARD

AGENCY FOR SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH (A*STAR)

VERTEX VENTURES

B CAPITAL GROUP

SINGTEL INNOV8

BUSINESS ANGEL NETWORK SOUTHEAST ASIA (BANSEA)

SINGAPORE INVESTMENT NETWORK

MAKARA INNOVATION FUND

JUNGLE VENTURES

SELETAR AEROSPACE PARK

LAUNCHPAD @ ONE-NORTH

JURONG LAKE DISTRICT

JURONG ISLAND

FUSIONOPOLIS

BIOPOLIS

CLEANTECH PARK

TUAS BIOMEDICAL PARK

SINGAPORE SCIENCE



PERSPECTIVE VIEW OF SOLARIS TOWERS WITH CONNECTING SKY BRIDGES AT ONE NORTH INDUSTRIAL PARK

07 A ROADMAP FOR THE SRTI PARK

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07 A ROADMAP FOR THE SRTI PARKA ROADMAP FOR CREATING A WORLD CLASS INNOVATION LOCATION AND TESTBED


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This report has reviewed evidence and presented a set of recommendations to guide the success of the SRTI Park and testbed. A critical component of this report is an in-depth review of the current state of play for Sharjah and the SRTI Park across the key drivers for successful innovation locations. From this we recommend several potential types of innovation locations (an innovation campus, district and suburban park) and testbed design principles for maximising success.

We go on to review a sample set of ten global cities to identify the type of global innovation locations and

cities for Sharjah to learn from, grow with and do business with.

The final outcome is the roadmap outlined in this chapter. The roadmap ranges from immediately-actionable recommendations to longer-term actions requiring time, effort, and collaboration across organisations, departments and stakeholders throughout the UAE. Recommendations are organised according to the six themes of fundamental drivers as outlined in Chapter 3.

BY PROVIDING AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE GLOBAL, REGIONAL AND LOCAL CONTEXT AND STATE OF INNOVATION LOCATIONS WE HOPE TO ENABLE SHARJAH TO STRONGLY POSITION ITSELF IN THE GLOBAL INNOVATION ECONOMY.

SHARJAH’S AL NOOR MOSQUE

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Under markets and investment there are two distinct areas we’ve made recommendations for: market conditions and fiscal incentives.

MARKET CONDITIONS

These recommendations focus on how the SRTI Park positions itself in the UAE market and how it can best influence the market for future success:

• Identify market opportunities and develop/launch new programs to shape the market, particularly where there is or could be strong regional demand. The SRTI Park should foster projects that will influence and change the future of public service delivery, energy, planning, housing and transport in the region.

• Setup a program to turn Sharjah into a regional testbed coordinated through the SRTI Park, allowing multinational businesses to test hardware in extreme weather conditions as a particular value proposition. For example, testing road worthiness of autonomous vehicles.

• Setup a foresight thinktank that looks into the disruption potential of incoming technologies on its own business and social ecosystem. The SRTI Park can look into market opportunities for improving productivity across the existing business landscape of the various industrial zones. To further expand its market base, the SRTI Park and other research and innovation bodies in Sharjah should encourage innovative solutions that can be replicated and successfully sold in local and global markets. Globally-leading cities such as Shenzhen and Bangalore have successfully built an innovation economy capitalising on their robust exports market.

• Although the UAE government has already committed to awarding 10% of all government digital transformation projects to SMEs, there is room for further growing its ambition to meet global best practice standards. For example, in 2016 the UK government spent about 22% of its overall budget on SMEs.

• The SRTI Park can set an example of large-scale institutional procurement of innovative solutions from local and global providers. It should ensure that these innovative solutions are used and showcased in a way that encourages other large private and public sector organisations to invest in them.

FISCAL INCENTIVES

Fiscal incentives include a variety of interventions in the local economy, the applicability and appropriateness of which vary:

• Our interviews with startups and other stakeholders in Sharjah suggest the Government of Sharjah should consider incentivising or lowering business setup costs for both foreign and national entrepreneurs.

• Target specialised industries in the region that will complement local industry. Fiscal incentives such as research grants and subsidies should be available to both academics and businesses. This would also encourage collaboration between the two. Increasing focus in one or two areas provides a higher chance of attracting investment from both within the UAE and internationally. For example, Germany takes a bottom-up approach where support is not assigned beforehand but only after observing what a region’s key strengths. Whereas in Turkey there is a 15% upfront tax break for companies relocating to targeted regions. In the Chinese city of Shenzhen, the government is famous for its thriving technology and startup scene: the government launched a 10 billion yuan (US$1.5 billion) venture capital fund last year to boost its emerging industries.

• Introduce risk sharing mechanisms by creating investment pools that allow multiple investors to share risk across a variety of cutting-edge and innovative sectors. These pooled investments encourage investor confidence even at the point where only a concept or idea exists, allowing for more testing and idea-development whilst ensuring any loss is shared across multiple parties.

7.1 MARKETS AND INVESTMENT

7.1 Markets and Investment07 A ROADMAP FOR THE SRTI PARK

The key areas research determined for development are: Encouraging competition and Clustering.

ENCOURAGING COMPETITION

Competition is key to any successful economy. Benefits of healthy competition in markets and sectors is well documented. To encourage healthy competition across business sectors Sharjah needs to address the key barriers faced by start-ups in the region:

• The SRTI Park, in conjunction with leading agencies such as Sheraa and Shurooq, should produce a white paper to better understand the impact of market conditions on their entrepreneur companies and use that white paper to lobby for policy changes to improve business setup conditions, especially for expat entrepreneurs. The three key issues the white paper should cover are: starting a business, getting credit, and handling insolvency.

CLUSTERING

Clustering has been identified as both a cause of and result of greater industry efficiencies. Clustering occurs when multiple same-sector industries are located within close proximity to each other.

• The SRTI Park should begin with an initial three clusters. These clusters should drive forward the existing expertise in the region: waste to energy and bio fuel production technologies (Bee’ah); green building and construction (Bee’ah); marine and air freight technologies (Crescent and Air Arabia).

• Industry clusters within the SRTI Park should be supported by linking complementary clusters within the region and beyond, ensuring the hub is not cut-off from other clusters around the world. To achieve this, provide excellent access to web conferencing and digital networks as well as setting up initial agreements and engagements. This may also influence the choice of park residents, as influential and well-networked ‘founding’ companies can help in this regard.

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7.2 INTER-FIRM ACTIVITY

7.2 Inter-firm Activity

PROVIDE EXCELLENT ACCESS TO WEB CONFERENCING AND DIGITAL NETWORKS AS WELL AS SETTING UP INITIAL AGREEMENTS

CLUSTERING HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS BOTH A CAUSE OF AND RESULT OF GREATER INDUSTRY EFFICIENCIES


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The three key areas that Sharjah should earmark as a priority for creating excellence include: Testbed Setup; a Culture of Collaboration and knowledge sharing; and IP creation and commercialization.

TESTBED SETUP

One value proposition of the SRTI Park should be a unique sector theme or themes with cutting-edge testbed facilities and assets to accompany them:

• Procure and rent cutting-edge technology assets such as immersive tech, digital innovation platforms, full fibre and 5G connectivity that encourage businesses to set up in the SRTI Park. This could include facilities that support fixed lab equipment and fuel cell test equipment. In addition, alternative IoT infrastructure such as low-powered wide-area network (LPWA) technologies like SigFox, LoRa and NB-IoT should be deployed to enable ubiquitous IoT-enabled solutions within the SRTI Park. They should support the clusters identified.

• A digital innovation platform powered by open data from across Sharjah’s government departments to enable data sharing would provide a basis for innovative services to be built on top of, for example smart utility services, citizen services and connected transport solutions.

• Services based on the above platform such as secure storage and document sharing should be offered to all businesses. All networks should be secured and provide a safe option for business operations. Access to high-speed servers and computing power will form an attractive resource for businesses who are not able to procure these themselves due to the expense.

CULTURE OF COLLABORATION AND KNOWLEDGE SHARING

Inter-firm and inter-institutional collaboration between local firms and academia requires significant further improvement. This appears to particularly fall short in the private sector. Our interviews with stakeholders in Sharjah suggest only a few firms in the Emirate dedicate a significant share of their revenue to R&D.

• Provide a lucrative offer for a coworking platform for organisations to undertake joint R&D. Launching

competitions that engage startups and encourage collaboration is important.

• Public sector funding or procurement for large scale projects with wide impact can also play a key role in encouraging collaborative R&D. This is evident from waste management company Bee’ah’s collaboration with the AUS to promote environmental research through the Gulf Ecosystems Research Centre and to install air quality-monitoring stations across Sharjah.

IP CREATION AND COMMERCIALISATION

Sharjah currently performs below average in IP creation. It has made progress updating IP protection laws to international standards but there is stagnation in IP registration from resident applicants, reflecting inadequate or sub-optimal research resources and collaboration across research centres and academia.

• Focused research activity on a smaller number of most promising areas that can help create IP must be prioritised, starting with the clustered sectors identified above. Further, university IP regulations must be formulated to ensure that faculty are incentivised to innovate and form startups. The University of Cambridge and the University of Waterloo in the UK provide good lessons on different ways to encourage faculty to innovate and crate IP.

• The SRTI Park, with government support, should set up an Emirate-wide agency that promotes interdisciplinary research with shared strategic goals and a strong element of cross-agency collaboration.

• The SRTI Park should host free, periodic clinics with leading law and consulting firms from the region that can provide practical advice to SMEs on setup, IP registration and other regulatory issues.

• Commercial tie-ups are necessary to ensure commercialisation of innovative solutions coming from academic R&D. These tie-ups, ideally involving local firms to nurture the local ecosystem, should be extended to international private companies guided by appropriate knowledge transfer frameworks and IP regulations.

7.3 KNOWLEDGE AND R&D

7.3 Knowledge & R&D07 A ROADMAP FOR THE SRTI PARK

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The key areas that the research have determined for development in this theme are: Collaboration, Networking, Development and Integration with local populace.

COLLABORATION

There are multiple choices for recommendations in which collaboration and collaborative spirit can be imbued within the SRTI Park. No matter the approach taken, this is a key condition that must be fulfilled.

STRATEGIES INCLUDE:

• Coworking spaces (physical and coworking labs) and encouraging their use.

• Coworking labs with technical facilities and equipment to allow founders and SMEs with specific skills to work holistically on technical projects. This enables cross-pollination of skills and improved skillsets among the working population more generally.

• Facilitating linked applied research projects between AUS (by co-locating the labs and formalising relationships) and other universities in Sharjah and beyond, along with SRTI Park residents. These projects can be in areas of strategic national or regional importance or in areas that offer synergies to all the organisations involved. Some of these areas include civil infrastructure design and construction, energy systems, engineering materials and manufacturing, and geospatial analysis.

• Creating and managing shared facilities and encouraging co-location among occupants.

• Create a joint leadership committee with head of college from university city and leadership from the SRTI Park to establish a business model where SMEs and entrepreneurs can rent access to high value lab equipment from universities.

• Encouraging AUS to set up multidisciplinary institutions to work across different knowledge fields and industry sectors targeted by the SRTI Park. The SRTI Park can support AUS in this by incorporating facilities that can be used for this kind of cross-discipline work.

NETWORKING

A key activity is to network with local stakeholders and ensure that within Sharjah and the wider UAE innovation organisations are known for trust, reciprocity, and co-operation.

• The SRTI Park should host innovation councils, meetups or Ted Talk-style events from Sharjah and wider region. It should also organise an innovation week with international investors, similar to the Global Entrepreneurship Network.

7.4 SKILLS AND HUMAN CAPITAL

7.4 Skills and Human Capital

COWORKING LABS WITH TECHNICAL FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT TO ALLOW FOUNDERS AND SMES WITH SPECIFIC SKILLS TO WORK HOLISTICALLY ON TECHNICAL PROJECTS


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• The SRTI Park should to promote its vibrant ecosystem. Certain actions such as joining an international technology park association for exchange of knowledge and staff can help with this. For example, the IASP (www.iasp.ws) is the global network for science, technology park and innovation districts. The SRTI Park should also sign agreements with similar organisations around the world to exchange companies for soft landing activities. The SRTI Park would host international companies to establish them in Sharjah and in exchange the partner organisation would host Sharjah companies in their countries.

• As part of its promotion exercise, the SRTI Park needs to ensure it is represented at international roadshows with a package ready and integrated in the wider Sharjah external promotion. The package should include different levels of participation including SRTI to invest directly into business networking events as well as hosting events that showcase their best talent. The SRTI Park should be a one-stop location for international businesses to find the best talent.

DEVELOPMENT

Both the AUS and the SRTI Park will benefit from comprehensive access to development opportunities. The companies in the SRTI Park and in the wider regional ecosystem should be encouraged or incentivised to offer internships that give students access to skill development across several areas including: commercialisation, attracting investment, marketing and business plan development.

• Beyond building a future pipeline of capability, the SRTI Park will benefit from collaborating with AUS and other universities to build strong research capabilities. Strategic areas, with strong inter-disciplinary linkages, should be considered as areas to procure world-class talent around which departments, institutes and research teams can be built. The SRTI Park should look for tenants within AUS and UoS strongest areas of educational excellence.

• Look beyond state lines – a company with distant headquarters may want a foothold to access your cutting-edge research and to recruit emerging workers.

• Establish more targeted exchange programmes with globally renowned universities. These programmes should help students acquire more interdisciplinary knowledge as well as to develop social and business networks.

• Leading research universities across the world, such as the University of Cambridge, embed the idea of becoming an entrepreneur early on in their students through formal innovation training modules. Sharjah’s universities and the SRTI Park should offer innovation and entrepreneurship courses and workshops to facilitate student engagement and mentorship with industry leaders.

• In the medium to long-term, Sharjah’s investment and funding bodies should require businesses and organisations funded by them to embed mentorship programmes and school outreach into their businesses.

• To help attract global leadership and talent, the Sharjah government can also make visa processes and fees simpler and more affordable for SMEs looking to bring in global talent.

INTEGRATION WITH LOCAL POPULACE

The innovation location can and should be used to assist in integrating and promoting the universities and park tenants to the local populace.

• Local residents can be assisted by promoting employment opportunities and accessible educational or training schemes. Examples of this include programmes that equip local workers with ‘innovation economy’ skills or training in secondary or tertiary jobs such as sales.

• The innovation location should integrate with the local economy by reaching out to local industrial and service industry players to find priorities for research and development, shaping the SRTI Park’s research aspirations to fit them.

• Local problems should be a focus for research programmes, ensuring that the local populace feel the tangible benefits of hosting the SRTI Park. Examples in Sharjah could include water, renewable energy, and transport.

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Governance and policy of both the SRTI Park, and by extension policy formation in Sharjah, will drive the ecosystem for the type of globally renowned innovation location that the SRTI park seeks to achieve; for this we focus our recommendations on three areas: Standards, Innovation Policy, and Collaborative and Global Governance.

GOVERNANCE

The SRTI Park seeks to form an inclusive and far reaching governance structure. This will influence long-term global collaborations the SRTI Park forms and therefore its overall success.

• A collaborative advisory council should be formed as part of what the SRTI Park offers. This board can be formed of leaders from Sharjah’s key institutions, firms and sectors that regularly and formally cooperate on the design, delivery, marketing and governance of the SRTI Park. The Triple Helix model of governance to be fundamental to success. Giving both collaborators and even potential competitors a place on the advisory board embeds the SRTI Park into the fabric of Sharjah’s Innovation Economy and makes it stand out as a leader among Emirate innovators.

• The development of the SRTI Park should be managed directly by a professional management team with experience in community creation and curation. There needs to be a high focus on relationship building through periodic events and membership/subscription-based engagement models.

• For the appropriate governance it is imperative to identify measurable KPIs that define success over a set period. These indicators can be used to provide actionable guidance for how Sharjah’s innovation economy should grow and develop in the short, medium and long-term. Some of these KPIs, measured annually, should be: IP produced, number of new tenants, amount

of angel investment, revenue generated by tenant SMEs, number of new SMEs registered, and number and impact of industry-academia partnerships.

• As large cities and metropolitan areas tackle the challenges and opportunities of a globalisation, many find it useful to initiate an international advisory board or committee. Such a board draws together a range of senior international perspectives to offer a synthesised advisory platform for local leaders to draw insights and wisdom from. Advice and guidance is often immediate, global, and honed through real life management of cities and execution of complex interventions. It should therefore show high validity and value for the hosting cities.

STANDARDS

Globally leading firms and startups tend to locate in locations of the highest global standards. A clear minimum standard will help to demonstrate the SRTI Park as an appropriate place for such firms to locate.

• We recommend using the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a baseline to develop operational standards for the park. We have identified the following SDGs as priority focus areas:

• Goal 3 (Good Health and Wellbeing), 4 (Quality education) and 5 (Gender Equality). The AUS is ahead of the curve for Sharjah (48% of AUS population are women) but the SRTI Park should still champion this development goal and lead efforts across the UAE.

• Goal 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). Whereas Sharjah already has a well-established and well-diversified economic base it should continue to work at the forefront of the innovation economy and provide a benchmark for other UAE states.

7.5 GOVERNANCE AND POLICY

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• Goal 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure). Sharjah’s vision to be a global innovation location is predicated by their commitment to invest in their infrastructure.

INNOVATION POLICY

Supportive policy would assist firms seeking to locate in the SRTI Park and can take several forms.

• Support for R&D. Funding, subsidies, or grants can be provided to provide the right equipment for research. This allows SRTI Park occupants to save overhead costs of facilities for research and development, especially for items such as computers and workspace equipment.

• Support for Innovation. Support can be more than monetary. For example, creating open data networks with dedicated infrastructures for open access which can include data repositories, publication repositories, and public-private collaborations to create repositories.

• Advisory services. The SRTI Park should incorporate guidance and support available to all, particularly peer-to-peer networks and global influencers.

• Network support. Link networks across sectors and

cultures (including internationally) by facilitating events that attract networks in and through the provision of conference spaces.

• Open-data policy. Work closely with the open UAE research and development group for the successful adoption of open-source software for the region.

• City standards. Create a city standards institute to ensure Sharjah and the wider UAE region stays at the forefront of technology creation and deployment across the word.

• Procurement policies. We recommend a procurement by challenge model (as seen in Dublin and CityMart) where businesses are given challenges representing issues faced by the city or the wider region. We also recommend a gradual increase in the mandatory public sector procurement from SMEs, which currently stands at 10% in UAE.

• Visa rules. We recommend clearer guidance and assistance on the new visa system where people can start businesses on their visa. Setup a visa system which has a fast-track to opening bank accounts and tap into the student ecosystem for talents with dedicated internship/apprenticeship programs including university curriculum.

7.5 Governance and Policy

PHOTO OF THE BUILDING OF THE GOVERNMENT OF SHARJAH AND THE MONUMENT OF THE KORAN. CENTRAL SQUARE


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To create a location for innovation, rather than an office park with lab facilities, it is key the SRTI Park include more than just working and technical space. Places for gathering, dining and shopping, conference centres, hotels and fitness amenities will create an area that encompasses all aspects of ‘live-work-learn-play’ that have been found to engender collaborative and creative approaches to work.

• We recommend creating open spaces that contain covered street furniture for people to congregate and socialise. In addition, we recommend specialised zones that cater to the various interests of people. For instance, leaders of Sharjah should consider leveraging its well-known museums to host engaging technology exhibitions, seminars and talks that attract university students and established entrepreneurs alike.

• In the spirit of Sharjah’s lifetime education plans which require those under the age of 25 to engage with after-school activities and educational activities, we recommend creating areas that engage younger people to visit and workshops and activities they can attend to help establish a pipeline of future talent and interest in the park.

7.6 INFRASTRUCTURE AND CULTURE

• We also recommend the integration of social currency, time-banking and social coins that could be used on campus. Areas dedicated to open-air national technology festivals that could double up as music and other cultural festivals should also be created and encouraged.

• We recommend a series of interventions to encourage enhanced mobility, allowing for ease of movement between the wider region and the SRTI Park. A Park and Ride service could encourage people from further afield to travel as close as possible to the SRTI Park without creating additional congestion. Innovative SMEs, such as CityMapper in the UK, have setup on-demand mini buses that have been met with a success in several global cities.

7.6 Infrastructure and Culture

A NATURE RESERVE WITH A PANORAMA OF THE CITY - SHARJAH

THE WATERFRONT IN SHARJAH, UAE

7.6 INFRASTRUCTURE AND CULTURE


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REFERENCES

i Gulf News, ‘Sharjah GDP rises to Dh88.5b in 2016’, January 2018. Accessed online at https://gulfnews.com/business/economy/sharjah-gdp-rises-to-dh88-5b-in-2016-1.2155159

ii Sharjah.com, ‘Sharjah Economy’, December 2018. Accessed online at https://www.sharjah.com/v/economy/

iii Charles Minshall (1983). ‘An Overview of Trends in Science and High Technology Parks’, Economics and Policy Analysis Occasional Paper 37, Colombus, OH

iv Thomson Reuters, ‘RUWAD approves AED1.2 mn for Emirati entrepreneurs’, October 2018.

v Oxford Business Group, ‘The Report Sharjah 2018’, 2018

vi https://theconversation.com/the-plan-to-make-johannesburg-home-to-a-digital-revolution-43125

vii http://www.itwebafrica.com/ict-and-governance/267-south-africa/236730-new-joburg-digital-hub-off-to-good-start

viii https://about-france.com/tourism/main-towns-cities.htm

ix http://www.atimes.com/article/shenzhen-launches-us1-5b-startup-VC-fund/

x http://china-trade-research.hktdc.com/business-news/article/Facts-and-Figures/Shenzhen-Guangdong-City-Information/ff/en/1/1X000000/1X09VT4H.htm

xi http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2017-03/08/content_28472097.htm

xii https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23931499

xiii Mobile World Capital, ‘Digital Startup Ecosystem Overview’, January 2018

xiv London Stansted Cambridge Corridor Growth Commission, ‘The next Global knowledge region: Setting the ambitions and vision’, July 2016

xv London Stansted Cambridge Corridor Growth Commission, ‘Improving the functional economy of the London Stansted Cambridge Corridor vital to future UK economic performance’, March 10, 2016. Accessed online at http://www.lsccgrowthcommission.org.uk/?p=598

xvi The Business of Cities and Future Cities Catapult, ‘The Logic of Innovation Locations’ May 2017

SHARJAH RESEARCH TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION PARK P.O. BOX 66636SHARJAH, UAE

TEL +971 6 515 4587 FAX +971 6 515 2200

EMAIL: [email protected]

FUTURE CITIES CATAPULT 1 SEKFORDE STREETCLERKENWELLLONDON EC1R 0BE

TEL +44 20 7952 5111

EMAIL: [email protected]

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