Partners with Tathmeer Agri Tech to combine smart farming, AI, R&D, technology testing and market access

Sharjah: Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park (SPARK) is setting up an integrated, smart Agri-Tech Innovation Centre in partnership with Tathmeer Agri Tech (FZC), to boost Sharjah’s position as a hub for sustainable agricultural innovation.
The Tathmeer Agri Tech Innovation Centre, to be established on a dedicated land plot within SPARK, will create a real-world environment for agricultural technologies to be demonstrated, tested and validated before commercial deployment and scale-up.
The centre will bring together controlled-environment agriculture, hydroponics, vertical farming, automation, IoT and AI-enabled monitoring, alongside Tathmeer’s FarmBridge digital platform. It will also support applied R&D pilots, farmer training, technology selection, startup development and connections between agricultural producers, technology providers, investors and markets.
The launch ceremony held today at SPARK was attended by representatives from government entities and the agricultural and technology sectors, alongside researchers, innovators, project partners and members of the media. The event also featured a panel discussion on the future of agricultural technology and sustainable agriculture, followed by the official signing ceremony between SPARK and Tathmeer.
Tathmeer Agri Tech has also partnered with Elevate Farms, a leading vertical farming technology company with operations and presence in Canada, the United States and Switzerland, to strengthen the centre’s access to advanced vertical farming technologies and support their demonstration, validation and potential deployment in the UAE and the wider region.
Hussain Al Mahmoudi, CEO of SPARK, said: “SPARK’s mandate is to transform research, technology and innovation into practical economic value. This collaboration with Tathmeer Agri Tech reflects the type of investment we want to attract to Sharjah: companies that combine technology, applied R&D, physical infrastructure and market access to address strategic priorities such as food security, sustainability and economic diversification.
“By providing land, ecosystem access and facilitation, SPARK will support Tathmeer in developing an Agri-Tech centre that can demonstrate solutions, connect with government and industry, and help accelerate sustainable agriculture innovation. More broadly, initiatives such as this strengthen Sharjah’s ability to bring international technologies into the region and create an environment where they can be tested, developed and taken towards commercial application.”
H.E. Faisal Lutfi, Co-Founder and Partner of Tathmeer Agri Tech, said: “Our partnership with SPARK marks an important step in building an integrated environment where advanced agricultural technologies can be demonstrated, validated and connected to real commercial opportunities. Through the Integrated Agri-Tech Innovation Centre and our FarmBridge platform, we aim to connect technology with real farms, training, R&D and market access, while bringing international agri-tech capabilities into the UAE and supporting a stronger, more connected agricultural ecosystem.”
A key component of the centre will be Tathmeer’s FarmBridge Agri-Ecosystem, 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.
The model aims to help farmers address three fundamental commercial questions — what to grow, how to grow and where to sell — while enabling agricultural technologies to be tested under practical conditions before wider investment and deployment.
Training and capacity building will form another major component of the centre, with planned certification, field-learning and skills-development programmes for farmers, agronomists, entrepreneurs and technology adopters.
The facility will also serve as a testbed for emerging agricultural technologies, supporting startups and technology providers seeking to demonstrate their solutions, validate their performance and establish their commercial viability.
Tathmeer is additionally expected to participate in the Agriculture Innovation Zone at Sharjah Next – Sustainability, with potential technology demonstrations and workshops contributing to the wider innovation programme.

The new venture supports wider UAE priorities in food security, sustainability, entrepreneurship, innovation and economic diversification, while reinforcing Sharjah’s efforts to attract technology companies capable of developing and scaling commercially relevant solutions.