His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (pictured), Crown Prince of Dubai, deputy prime minister and minister of defence of the UAE, and chairman of the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), has directed the establishment of the Dubai RDI Ecosystem, an integrated ecosystem to advance research, development, and innovation across the emirate. Overseen by the Dubai Future Foundation, the Dubai RDI Ecosystem will accelerate the emirate’s innovation agenda.
Khalifa Al Qama has been appointed to lead this new mandate and oversee its implementation across strategic sectors. The Dubai RDI Ecosystem will serve as a unified platform bringing together Dubai’s current and future innovation projects, enabling government and private entities to develop breakthrough ideas powered by advanced technologies and future-focused applications.
This framework will steer the work of leading research institutions such as Dubai Future Labs and the MIT Senseable City Lab in Dubai, while advancing national initiatives including Dubai Research, Development and Innovation, and the Dubai Robotics and Automation Programme. It will also guide regulatory innovation through Sandbox Dubai, in partnership with government entities, legislators, and leading international companies.
The Ecosystem will also include the Dubai Research, Development and Innovation Grant Initiative, which works to empower pioneering projects. By integrating research, regulation and innovation under one unified platform, the Dubai RDI Ecosystem should also strengthen Dubai’s partnerships with universities, research centres, and academic institutions worldwide.