Dubai's Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan Launches Next Phase Of 'Dubai Future Solutions'

H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), has approved the next phase of the 'Dubai Future Solutions’ initiative. This phase, titled 'Dubai Future Solutions – Prototypes for Humanity,' will be overseen by H.H. Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture).

The initiative aims to develop and implement innovative prototypes and pilot models, delivering solutions from Dubai to the world. It builds on the successes achieved by the ‘Prototypes for Humanity’ initiative over the past nine years, advancing innovation for humanity's benefit.

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Sheikh Hamdan witnessed a cooperation agreement signing between DFF and the Hussain Sajwani – DAMAC Foundation (HSDF), which pledged AED100 million to support innovation and technology in Dubai and across the UAE. The agreement was signed by Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of DFF, and Hussain Sajwani, Founder and Chairman of DAMAC Properties, making HSDF a strategic partner of the initiative.

Sheikh Hamdan stated that the initiative serves as a comprehensive platform to support innovators and designers worldwide, nurturing top talent and creative thinkers across all future-oriented sectors. He emphasised that this is a pivotal step towards realising H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's vision to transform Dubai into a global innovation hub.

"The objective of the 'Dubai Future Solutions - Prototypes for Humanity' initiative is to create a dynamic platform that attracts leading innovations, projects, and experimental ideas from across the world," said Sheikh Hamdan. "We extend our gratitude to Hussain Sajwani for supporting Dubai’s innovation journey and his dedication to advancing future technologies across sectors."

H.H. Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed highlighted that Sheikh Hamdan's directives provide strong impetus to Dubai’s journey of innovation, entrepreneurship, future design, and human empowerment. These directives guide efforts to strengthen international collaborations and partnerships while accelerating new technologies and innovations.

"To achieve these goals, we are committed to cultivating strategic partnerships with government entities, the private sector, global universities, and academic, cultural, technological, and creative institutions," Sheikha Latifa added. "Our objective is to spotlight a variety of future-oriented ideas and innovations that have a positive impact on society."

Under Sheikha Latifa's guidance, the collaboration between DFF and HSDF will establish a global framework to enhance partnerships with academic institutions, students, laboratories, startups, and leading innovators worldwide. This initiative aims to attract leading global innovations to Dubai.

The initiative supports innovators and startups across various future sectors by enhancing job creation, investment opportunities, and market expansion. It aids in patenting innovations and helps transition ideas into viable companies while providing investment avenues for innovators looking to expand globally from Dubai.

An annual event will be hosted at the Dubai Future District showcasing the best 100 innovations from the ‘Dubai Future Solutions – Prototypes for Humanity’ initiative. The top innovations will be honoured during an annual ceremony.

DFF will support this initiative through various national programmes including the Dubai Research and Development Program and the Dubai Robotics and Automation Program. Leveraging its integrated ecosystem, DFF will promote entrepreneurship through AREA 2071 and the Dubai Future Accelerators (DFA), spotlighting promising projects and talents.

This announcement builds on the success achieved by ‘Prototypes for Humanity’, an initiative of the Art Dubai Group over the past nine years. Under Sheikha Latifa's patronage, it has showcased hundreds of innovative projects from over 10,000 applications submitted by students from more than 700 universities worldwide.

The 'Prototypes for Humanity' initiative has been supported by its founding partners: Dubai Culture, DIFC, A.R.M Holding, and the Investment Corporation of Dubai. In the past year alone, it received over 2,800 project submissions encompassing more than 200 research fields across diverse technological sectors.

With inputs from WAM