Sharjah: Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park (SPARK) is establishing a smart Agri-Tech Innovation Centre in partnership with Tathmeer Agri Tech (FZC) to enhance Sharjah's role as a leader in sustainable agricultural innovation.
According to Emirates News Agency, the Tathmeer Agri Tech Innovation Centre will be located within SPARK and aims to create a real-world environment for testing and validating agricultural technologies before they are commercially deployed and scaled up. The centre will incorporate controlled-environment agriculture, hydroponics, vertical farming, automation, IoT, and AI-enabled monitoring, along with Tathmeer's FarmBridge digital platform. It will also facilitate applied R and D pilots, farmer training, technology selection, startup development, and connections among agricultural producers, technology providers, investors, and markets.
The launch ceremony, attended by government representatives, industry experts, researchers, and media, included a panel discussion on the future of agricultural technology and sustainable agriculture. The event concluded with the official signing ceremony between SPARK and Tathmeer.
In a strategic move to bolster its technological capabilities, Tathmeer Agri Tech has partnered with Elevate Farms, a prominent vertical farming technology firm with a presence in Canada, the United States, and Switzerland. This collaboration aims to enhance the centre's access to advanced vertical farming technologies for potential deployment in the UAE and the wider region.
Hussain Al Mahmoudi, CEO of SPARK, highlighted the collaboration's alignment with SPARK's mandate to transform research, technology, and innovation into economic value. By providing land, ecosystem access, and facilitation, SPARK aims to support Tathmeer in developing an Agri-Tech centre that can demonstrate solutions, connect with government and industry, and accelerate sustainable agriculture innovation.
Faisal Lutfi, Co-Founder and Partner of Tathmeer Agri Tech, emphasized the significance of their partnership with SPARK in building an integrated environment for advanced agricultural technologies. Through the Integrated Agri-Tech Innovation Centre and the FarmBridge platform, the objective is to connect technology with farms, training, R and D, and market access, thereby strengthening the UAE's agricultural ecosystem.
A crucial aspect of the centre will be Tathmeer's FarmBridge Agri-Ecosystem, which is designed to connect farmers, technology companies, investors, government entities, entrepreneurs, SMEs, supply-chain operators, and food and beverage businesses through a coordinated digital and physical platform. This model aims to address fundamental commercial questions for farmers while enabling the practical testing of agricultural technologies.
The initiative aligns with the UAE's broader priorities in food security, sustainability, entrepreneurship, and economic diversification. It also reinforces Sharjah's efforts to attract technology companies capable of developing and scaling commercially relevant solutions.