Masdar Institute has joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Energy Initiative (MITEI) as a founding public member. The collaboration will support ongoing research and development of alternative and renewable energy technologies and solutions, as well as provide new opportunities to help meet the world's need for sustainable energy supplies and practices.

The Institute is one of several public and private organizations in the alternative energy sector that have joined as members of MITEI. As a founding member, Masdar Institute has a seat on MITEI's governing board. The Institute will also be directly involved in identifying sponsored research programs, and will join with other MITEI members in supporting the MITEI Energy Research Seed Fund program which funds innovative early-stage research projects solicited from across the MIT campus. As a founding public member of MITEI, Masdar Institute will appoint post-doctoral fellows to MIT as well as explore opportunities to bring post-doctoral fellows to the Institute to further enhance its intellectual infrastructure and capabilities.

Although largely focused on renewable energy and sustainability, Masdar Institute began a new Microsystems program in the autumn of 2010. This program was developed with support from MIT's Microsystems Technology Lab in the areas of academic program development, collaborative research and specification of nano-fabrication equipment for clean room facilities.

Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC) is funding Masdar Institute’s initial clean room equipment purchases. ATIC, which was established by the Abu Dhabi government in 2008, is a specialist investment company focused on the establishment of a global advanced technology sector in Abu Dhabi. ATIC’s partnership with Masdar Institute is just one of its many activities aimed at establishing a semiconductor industry in Abu Dhabi.

The Institute’s Microsystems research will provide faculty and students with the opportunity to develop, pilot and scale solutions applicable to semiconductor devices and fabrication technologies as well as novel electronic and photonic circuits and systems. Newly hired Masdar Institute faculty are provided the opportunity to work on a two-year collaborative research project with one or more MIT faculty members. Nine Masdar Institute faculty members have been hired for the Microsystems program.

Collaborative research currently underway with MTL faculty is in the following areas:

• Energy efficient wearable sensor networks (Prof. Anantha Chandrakasan)
• Ultra low power, variation aware, time-interleaved A/D converters (Profs. Duane Boning and Harry Lee)
• Thin film photovoltaic and thermophotovoltaic materials and devices (Profs. Dimitri Antoniadis and Judy Hoyt)

Beyond MIT

• NYU Abu Dhabi
  • Center for Technology and Economic Development (CTED)
    • Focus on solar energy in the developing world
• Khalifa University of Science Technology and Research (KUSTAR)
  • Innovation in Biomedical Engineering