Dubai has taken a major step toward strengthening its global innovation leadership after H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum directed the establishment of the Dubai Research, Development and Innovation Ecosystem, a unified platform designed to advance future-focused research and technologies across the emirate.
The Dubai RDI Ecosystem will be overseen by the Dubai Future Foundation and aims to accelerate Dubai’s innovation agenda while reinforcing its position as a global hub for future economies. The initiative brings research, regulation, and innovation together under a single framework to enable faster development and deployment of breakthrough ideas.
Sheikh Hamdan also approved the appointment of Khalifa Al Qama as Chief of Research, Development and Innovation at the Dubai Future Foundation. In this role, Al Qama will lead the ecosystem’s implementation across strategic sectors and oversee collaboration between public and private stakeholders.
The ecosystem will serve as an integrated platform connecting existing and future innovation projects, supporting government entities, startups, and private sector players in developing advanced, future-ready solutions. It will guide the work of leading institutions such as Dubai Future Labs and the MIT Senseable City Lab in Dubai, while advancing initiatives including the Dubai Robotics and Automation Program.
Regulatory innovation will also be supported through Sandbox Dubai, developed in collaboration with government bodies, legislators, and international companies. In addition, the Dubai Research, Development and Innovation Grant Initiative will form part of the ecosystem, funding pioneering research and accelerating solutions to emerging challenges.
By aligning research institutions, regulators, and innovators, the Dubai RDI Ecosystem is expected to deepen global academic partnerships and strengthen Dubai’s role in shaping the technologies of the future.
News Source: Emirates News Agency
