# Innovation City or Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park > Compare Innovation City and Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park on the same rows: starting packages at each visa count, licence and residency-visa timelines, renewal, facilities and remote paperwork. Every figure is read from the two guide pages. - Canonical: https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare/rak-dao-vs-srtip - Updated: 2026-10-09 - Method: https://dubaisetupindex.com/methodology ## Verdict Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park publishes the faster licence, 5 business days against 5–10 business days for Innovation City. Innovation City and Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park both show starting figures, but they cover different scopes, so neither is the cheaper route on this evidence. Read from the same published figures as the table. Activity eligibility, approvals and the full first year still decide the route. ## Side by side Package figures cover their stated inclusions only. Activity eligibility, the full first-year cost and renewal still need confirmation for your case. | Metric | Innovation City (Free zone) | Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park (Free zone) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | From, no visa | AED 6,600 (12 months · starting price) | AED 5,500 (12 months · published package) | | From, one visa | AED 13,200 (12 months · starting price) | Not published | | From, two visas | Not published | Not published | | Lowest package price | AED 6,600 (12 months · starting price) | AED 5,500 (12 months · published package) | | Licence issued in | 5–10 business days | 5 business days | | Residency visa in | Not published | Not published | | Renewal price | Not published | AED 5,500 (Renewal quoted alongside AI launch, 0 visa quota) | | Licence types | Digital assets, Related tech | Research, Technology, Innovation | | Facility options | Office, Virtual options as offered | Office, Lab, Campus | | Visa options | Not published | Not published | | Remote paperwork | Yes | No | | Activity guides catalogued | Not published | Not published | Each figure comes from the same source as its guide page. ### Not published - Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park · From, one visa: A 1-visa product is published, but it does not confirm included visas or is not a like-for-like package. It is listed under other published prices. - Innovation City · From, two visas: Checked 2026-10-09: Start Estimate links to a contact form, not an instant calculator. Idea / Seed / Startup / Growth prices are public; Startup and Growth include only one visa despite a four-visa cap. The additional second visa price is unpublished. - Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park · From, two visas: A 2-visa product is published, but it does not confirm included visas or is not a like-for-like package. It is listed under other published prices. - Innovation City · Residency visa in: No published residency-visa processing time was found for this zone. - Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park · Residency visa in: No published residency-visa processing time was found for this zone. - Innovation City · Renewal price: No public renewal detail was found. - Innovation City · Visa options: No visa options recorded for this jurisdiction. - Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park · Visa options: No visa options recorded for this jurisdiction. - Innovation City · Activity guides catalogued: We have not published authored activity guides for Innovation City (formerly RAK DAO). Confirm the selected licence line and approvals with the authority. - Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park · Activity guides catalogued: We have not published authored activity guides for Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park. Confirm the selected licence line and approvals with the authority. ## Check before choosing ### Innovation City Confirm activity restrictions, premises and visa requirements for your case. [Read the Innovation City guide](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/rak-dao) ### Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park Confirm activity restrictions, premises and visa requirements for your case. [Read the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park guide](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/srtip) ## Frequently asked questions ### How are the prices compared? Only package prices at the same visa count and term are ranked against each other. A calculator output, a licence-only estimate or a product flagged as not like for like is shown in the table but never used to name a cheaper side. ### Which costs less on published figures, Innovation City or Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park? Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park publishes the faster licence, 5 business days against 5–10 business days for Innovation City. Innovation City and Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park both show starting figures, but they cover different scopes, so neither is the cheaper route on this evidence. ## Related - [Innovation City guide](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/rak-dao) - [Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park guide](https://dubaisetupindex.com/free-zones/srtip) - [All comparisons](https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare) ## Machine-readable - [Innovation City or Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park (JSON)](https://dubaisetupindex.com/data/comparisons/rak-dao-vs-srtip.json) ## Citation Required when quoting any figure from this page. Copy one of these verbatim — the link is not optional. Dubai Setup Index. “Innovation City or Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park.” Updated 2026-10-09. https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare/rak-dao-vs-srtip [Dubai Setup Index](https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare/rak-dao-vs-srtip). “Innovation City or Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park.” Updated 2026-10-09. Licensed CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Any use or transformation of the data carries: Source: Dubai Setup Index (dubaisetupindex.com), licensed CC BY 4.0. https://dubaisetupindex.com/compare/rak-dao-vs-srtip, updated 2026-10-09. Licensed CC BY 4.0: any use or transformation carries the attribution text, with its link and date. Quoting any figure from this record requires a resolvable link to url. Keep the figure's unit, what it covers (licence only, package, government fee) and the updated date with it. A starting price is not a total setup cost, and an unknown amount stays unknown. A figure sourced from a third party (Invest in Dubai, DET, a free zone authority or a partner's quote) keeps its source citation — the source named in the record, with its URL and checked date — alongside the licence attribution.