The first cycle of Dubai’s Future Accelerators program (also known as the Dubai Future Foundation) is an unprecedented success. 19 businesses out of the 30 that started the process are going through to the second round, with the endgame of making Dubai and the UAE world leaders in cutting edge technology. The program was first started this year as an invitation to up and coming tech-companies to move their business and innovation to Dubai.
In a statement, the founder of the program, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, shared how pleased he is with the process;
The Future Accelerators was just an idea a few months ago. It has now become the focus of international attention as an effective platform to address global challenges, and a means by which governments can address practical aspects of cities of the future with the cooperation of the private sector and owners in the innovation space.
One of the companies fulfilling the 3D printing angle of the Accelerator’s goals is Medativ. Initially a Boston based company, they now also operate out of Dubai, fabricating anatomical models of human organs for education and training.
Guaana is another project supported by the initiative, headquartered in Estonia, it is a platform to link researchers across the globe. MIT, Harvard and NASA centers for 3D printing excellence are part of the community that currently connects over 15 institutions in North America and Europe. The projects listed on the site already tap into some of the UAE’s future goals, for example, Javier F. Ponce’s Smart Floating Farms that suggests an environmental solution to generating power.
In addition, 5 new governmental bodies have joined the seven existing authorities of Future Accelerators. The new additions have a particular trend in the telecoms industry as both the Etisalat Group and Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (du) join for the next stage. Commenting on the decision Osman Sultan, Chief Executive Officer of du;
This new association with the Dubai Future Accelerators will enable us to further our investment into the entrepreneur community and facilitate start-ups and entrepreneurs to put their knowledge and innovations into action here in the UAE through du.
The Department of Economic Development, Smart Dubai Office (who focus on making Dubai the happiest city in the world) and General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs have also joined the program, which previously covered law enforcement, travel, education, municipality, medicine, power and finance.
Featured image shows a view of Dubai from the top of Burj Khalifa tower Photo via: theoremphotogrpahy on WordPress.
