Sharjah24 : Sharjah Research Technology & Innovation Park (SRTIP) and Deep Knowledge Analytics (DKA), a DeepTech analytical agency focused on Longevity, AI, and the convergence of technological megatrends have announced a first-of-a-kind strategic partnership aimed at mapping the Longevity Industry in the UAE, fostering knowledge of relevant sectors locally and internationally, developing comprehensive stakeholder engagement, identifying major drivers of the industry across the country, and ultimately developing in coordination with relevant government institutions robust national Longevity policies to maximize the health and wealth of the nation, while preparing future leaders to advance Longevity as a key component of the country’s future strategic agenda.

Albeit in its infancy, the Longevity Industry is expected to be the largest and most sophisticated of all time. It intersects several subsectors from BioTech and pharmaceutical industry to FinTech and InsurTech, among many others. This collaboration is a move forward to spearheading, developing, and commercializing the Longevity Industry.

National governments currently sit at a crossroads of major Longevity-related challenges and opportunities, and there is an increasingly pressing need for governmental attitudes to shift from an ageing-reactive position (reactively trying to neutralize the economic burden of the growing proportion of the population that is aged 60 and older) to a Longevity-proactive position (the support of methods to extend population level healthy longevity) in order to efficiently develop the massive socioeconomic opportunities of Longevity: extending the period of workforce participation and productivity, lowering the healthcare burden of old-age care, and reaping economic growth as a result of Longevity industrialization and associated sectors, including BioTech, the pharmaceutical industry, FinTech and InsurTech, among many others. 

One of the first steps in developing an effective infrastructure for Longevity governance and building healthy aging strategies will be mapping the overall industry in the UAE by creating a detailed Longevity landscape analysis to profile and categorize companies, investors, R&D hubs, academic institutions, and industry professionals operating within the field. The partnership aims to enhance the knowledge about Longevity and promote its adoption nationwide.

The joint effort also aims to identify the UAE’s driving forces behind the Longevity Industry and healthy aging, and ultimately devise an action plan for government entities, enabling them to establish and advance their Longevity development agenda across all relevant decision makers and industry, governmental and institutional stakeholders.

The cooperative framework of the agreement seeks to promote a culture of Longevity and an open and productive discourse on the local, regional, and international levels. In order to create a conducive dialogue around the industry, the partnership will organize local and international conferences covering Longevity-related topics to promote cross-border Longevity-focused cooperation and collaboration for the mutual benefit of local and international strategic, economic and political allies.

The partnership will also enhance the knowledge and career-based opportunities of UAE students by creating a Longevity-focused educational program within universities in the UAE. By instilling a culture of Longevity learning in today’s curricula, both parties set out to equip future leaders with the necessary know-how to address aging and advance national Longevity policies that can effectively leverage the global megatrend of Longevity industrialization to create new sources of economic growth and stability for the joint benefit of citizens and national economies.

Hussain Al Mahmoudi, Chief Executive Officer of Sharjah Research Technology & Innovation Park, said: “Sharjah represents an ideal city for researching and developing world-leading Longevity initiatives. The city hosts the largest academic city in the region. We are confident in the outcomes of this pioneering partnership with Deep Knowledge Analytics, which have been researching national DeepTech and Longevity strategies for the past several years.”

Dmitry Kaminskiy, General Partner of Deep Knowledge Group, said: “Visionary and progressive governments are increasingly embracing Longevity as a major strategic component of their national agendas. To help governments develop a better understanding of Longevity and enable sound policymaking within this unprecedentedly complex and demanding sector, we remain committed to forging high-calibre partnerships with governments, policymakers, and other relevant authorities to address the growing gap between theory and practice of local and national Longevity policy, governance, and industrial strategy initiatives.”

Alexei Cresniov, Director of Deep Knowledge Analytics, said: “Over the past few years, we have produced a number of comprehensive analytical reports on Longevity, AI, and DeepTech in general – unprecedented in their scope and length – jointly with leading government-related institutions, including UK Parliamentary Groups. Capitalizing on our strengths in analytics and given our advanced capabilities in creating dynamic mindmaps and tailored databases capturing real-time industry developments, we look forward to working with SRTIP on promoting and developing the Longevity Industry in the UAE.”