The United Arab Emirates University hosted the “Palm Research and Products” Exhibition at the UAEU Science and Innovation Park in collaboration with the Secretary General of the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation. The event was attended by various national entities in the field of dates and palm, in line with the university’s golden jubilee celebrations and to present its innovative and research capabilities in employing palm and its by-products to advance sustainable practical solutions with high economic, environmental, and societal impact.
The exhibition included the launch of the “Palm Research and Products Student Program” aiming at supporting student research and innovations in date palm and its products, and transforming local resources into innovative and applications and solutions and promoting scientific research among students, contributing to producing research and added-value patent and allows funding to up to 10 projects annually, with the participation of faculty and undergraduate students among research teams working withing a period of 10 months.
The university also showcased a range of research projects in smart agriculture, among them is an intelligent palm pollination system based on computer vision and deep learning techniques, Bacterial cellulose production with integrated processes, and sustainable poultry feed based on organic ingredients, and in addition to innovative architectural designs inspired by palm trees, and the development of bio-based materials and sustainable foaming compounds from their waste.
The researchers also presented projects in the fields of sustainability, energy, and the circular economy, including composite materials to capture carbon dioxide and recycling palm fronds for use in solar evaporation systems for water desalination, in addition to solutions for treating salt water in enhanced oil recovery operations, technologies for converting desert biomass into energy, developing applications for intelligent nanomedicine from date waste, and producing sustainable bio-leathers from palm tree waste.
Since 2020, UAEU has achieved advanced research accomplishments in palm and its products, including the implementation of 61 research projects, 25 research projects for undergraduate students, 224 indexed scientific papers published in Scopus, and 20 patents obtained, reflecting the development of the research and innovation system in this vital field.
Several national entities participated in the exhibition, among them is the Secretary General of the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, National Agriculture Center, Al Foah Company. These entities reviewed their initiatives, programmes and achievements related to developing the palm and date sector and agricultural innovation in the country.
