The Centre of Excellence for Applied Research & Training (CERT) is the commercial, research and training arm of the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), which is the largest higher education institution in the United Arab Emirates. Since its creation in 1996, CERT has grown to be one of the largest private education providers in the Middle East and has become synonymous with quality in education, training, research, and socioeconomic progress. CERT is also one of the largest MENA (Middle East North Africa) investors in the discovery and commercialization of technology.