The Abu Dhabi Technology Development Committee (TDC), the Government entity supervising and coordinating the development of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) in the Emirate, has announced the return of the Abu Dhabi Science Festival in its second edition on October 10-20th 2012 to be held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC) and the Corniche in addition to key locations in Al Ain and Al Gharbiah. The event aims to spark the curiosity of the Emirate’s youth in STI and will build on the success of the inaugural edition of the festival last year.

The 2011 edition which was held in November 2011 under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, showcased an extensive variety of the world’s most exciting informal science learning experiences, including interactive exhibits, fun workshops and spectacular shows. Over 100,000 visitors attended the event including over 16,000 students in organized school trips from Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Gharbiah.

This year preparations to make the Abu Dhabi Science Festival larger and even more exciting than its 2011 predecessor are well underway. This festival will be two days longer with 20% more capacity for visitors at ADNEC. This will help accommodate 25% more organized school trips for which school registrations have started in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC), the Festival’s education partner. A key success factor for 2011 was the Science Communicators program which saw over 500 students from five universities in the Emirate that were trained as science communicators by world-class experts to present the festival’s activities in an engaging manner to children and families. The 2012 edition of the festival is expected to attract the participation of even more science communicators that will be recruited from local universities. TDC has partnered with several universities that will provide the science communicators, including Abu Dhabi University (ADU), Al Hosn University (AU), Emirates College for Advanced Education (ECAE), Higher Colleges of Technology’s Abu Dhabi Women’s College (HCT), Khalifa University (KU), Petroleum Institute, United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), and Zayed University (ZU).

Commenting on the preparations for the 2012 festival, H.E. Ahmed Al Calily, Director General, TDC stated: “Last year, the Abu Dhabi Science Festival clearly demonstrated the need for informal science events in the Emirate as demonstrated by the high attendance levels. This year’s festival is longer in duration and has more content to be able to meet the demand and at the same time enhance the visit experience.”

TDC is currently working to finalize key festival partnerships in coordination with Flash Entertainment as the Festival’s production partner for the second year. Additional information about the festival will be released in September.

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