ASPIRE Research Institute for Food Security in the Drylands ​

Welcome

The ASPIRE Research Institute for Food Security in the Drylands (ARIFSID) was established in 2021 and is funded by ASPIRE through one of the largest public research grants in the history of Abu Dhabi. The ARIFSID features a multi-disciplinary research, education, and outreach program in alignment with the food security strategy of the UAE. The research foci lie on urban farming and the development of safe circular food production and supply technologies tailored to the requirements of arid climatic regions. ​

The Khalifa University is UAEU’s main collaboration partner in the implementation of the ARIFSID research. To provide the technical and academic research infrastructure it needs to support the UAEs rapidly growing agri-/food-tech sector with innovative solutions and highly skilled young researchers, ARIFSID is joining forces with other stakeholders of the public and private agricultural sector. The ARIFSID also features comprehensive infrastructure to bring its research results to the market via business incubation and the provision of extension and consultancy services. ​

On behalf of the ARIFSID Consortium I welcome you to explore our website and learn more about our activities. We are always glad to receive feedback or suggestions from other food and agriculture enthusiasts, and to welcome these to our events and colloquia. ​

Dr. Elke Neumann,
ARIFSID Director ​