Dubai Future Foundation is one of the leading institutions concerned with future foresight and future design in the United Arab Emirates and the wider Arab region. The Foundation was established in April 2016 as the first research endowment institution in the Arab world. Its establishment came within the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, may God protect him, to strengthen Dubai\u2019s position as a global hub for future foresight and to transform innovative ideas into practical initiatives and projects that serve people, government, and the economy.<\/p>\n
The Foundation works on implementing the Dubai Future Agenda, which includes a wide range of initiatives aimed at developing individual capabilities, building a culture of future foresight, increasing institutional readiness for upcoming changes, and supporting new sectors with a positive impact on the national economy. It also cooperates with government entities, private sector organizations, and local and international institutions to design applicable future solutions and enhance Dubai\u2019s role in shaping future transformations rather than merely keeping pace with them.<\/p>\n
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, may God protect him, launched the Museum of the Future with the aim of exploring the future of science, technology, and innovation, and their impact on humanity. The Museum first opened its doors to the public through an exhibition held on the sidelines of the World Government Summit in 2016, marking the beginning of its role as a knowledge platform that presents future possibilities and raises major questions for governments and societies.<\/p>\n
The Museum of the Future focuses on vital sectors such as robotics and artificial intelligence, as these fields are expected to have a direct impact on social and economic life, as well as on health, education, work, and public services. Through its exhibitions and interactive experience, the Museum offers a broad vision of how humanity may deal with scientific and technological transformations in the coming years.<\/p>\n
On February 22, 2022, the Museum of the Future officially opened to the public, becoming one of Dubai\u2019s most prominent architectural and knowledge landmarks. The building covers an area of 30,000 square meters, rises 77 meters high, and consists of seven floors without internal columns, making its engineering design a remarkable achievement in modern architecture.<\/p>\n
Dubai Future Foundation launched the Dubai Future Observatory in 2016 to provide scientific and knowledge-based content in Arabic about the latest developments in technology, science, and innovation. The platform publishes articles, studies, infographics, and interactive visual materials that help simplify future-related concepts and make them accessible to Arabic-speaking audiences.<\/p>\n
The Observatory aims to encourage young people and those interested in science to follow modern scientific fields, support Arabic scientific content, and promote innovation and research in the region. It has also provided a space for receiving innovations from the Arab region, giving Arab innovators an opportunity to contribute to specialized knowledge content that reflects the region\u2019s capabilities and future interests.<\/p>\n
Dubai Future Labs serves as an applied research and development arm, particularly in the fields of robotics, artificial intelligence, and future technologies. The labs work on turning new ideas into practical solutions that can be used across different vital sectors.<\/p>\n
The labs cooperate with partners from the government and private sectors to identify technological challenges in key economic fields, then develop solutions, services, and systems with practical and economic value. Their team of researchers, scientists, and engineers works on several projects, including autonomous driving applications in logistics and drones used for delivery and cargo transportation.<\/p>\n
Dubai Future Forum is an annual event organized by Dubai Future Foundation. It aims to bring together experts, thinkers, and decision-makers from around the world to discuss future issues, challenges, and opportunities. The first edition of the forum was held in October 2022 at the Museum of the Future.<\/p>\n
The forum serves as a global platform for dialogue on future design. It brings together different disciplines and sectors in one place, helping participants exchange expertise, ideas, and shared visions for future challenges. In 2024, the forum welcomed more than 2,500 experts and specialists from around 100 countries, in addition to nearly 100 international institutions specializing in future design.<\/p>\n
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council, launched the Dubai Centre for Artificial Intelligence in 2023 at Area 2071 in Emirates Towers, Dubai.<\/p>\n
The Centre aims to support government entities in Dubai in using artificial intelligence technologies in a practical and effective way, in preparation for major transformations expected across various vital sectors. Its launch reflects Dubai\u2019s direction toward turning artificial intelligence from an emerging technology into an institutional tool that contributes to improving services, enhancing performance, and strengthening government readiness for the future.<\/p>\n
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, may God protect him, issued Decree No. 31 of 2018 forming the Board of Trustees of Dubai Future Foundation, chaired by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council. The Board includes a distinguished group of ministers, officials, and government and executive leaders, reflecting the Foundation\u2019s nature as an institution operating at the intersection of government, economy, technology, and innovation.<\/p>\n
One of the members of the Board is His Excellency Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and Managing Director of Dubai Future Foundation. His presence in this position is an extension of his long career in government development and strategic initiatives. Through his role, he contributes to following up on the Foundation\u2019s directions and supporting its ability to transform future visions into practical programs and projects. His role within the Foundation is closely connected to the idea of linking vision with execution, through initiatives that enhance Dubai\u2019s and the UAE\u2019s readiness for upcoming economic and technological transformations.<\/p>\n
As Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Managing Director, His Excellency Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi oversaw the establishment of Dubai Future Foundation in 2016, as well as the launch of several future-focused and transformational projects and initiatives. These include the Museum of the Future, Dubai Future Forum, Dubai Centre for Artificial Intelligence, Dubai 10X, the FIRST Global Challenge in robotics and artificial intelligence, and the Dubai Robotics and Automation Program. This role is clearly reflected in the Foundation\u2019s character, as it does not limit itself to theoretical studies, but seeks to test ideas, apply them, and turn them into institutional working models.<\/p>\n
His Excellency has also served as Minister of Cabinet Affairs in the UAE Government since 2006. His responsibilities include overseeing the development and implementation of the federal government strategy and improving government performance. From February 2016 to July 2020, he also handled the future portfolio as part of his ministerial duties, during which he was tasked with developing the UAE Strategy for the Future, aimed at strengthening the readiness of different sectors for future changes. This path gives his role at Dubai Future Foundation a broader dimension, combining government experience, strategic foresight, and the ability to build initiatives with local and international impact.<\/p>\n
The Board of Trustees also includes His Excellency Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications; His Excellency Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy; His Excellency Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi; Her Excellency Hessa bint Essa Buhumaid; Her Excellency Mariam bint Mohammed Al Mheiri; Her Excellency Sarah bint Yousef Al Amiri; and Her Excellency Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi. It also includes Abdullah Al Basti, Humaid Al Qatami, Lieutenant General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Dr. Abdulla Al Karam, Adel Ahmed Al Redha, Engineer Dawood Al Hajri, Saeed Al Eter Al Dhanhani, and Ahmad Abdulkarim Julfar. This diversity in membership provides an important source of strength for the Foundation, as it brings together government, economic, technological, and social expertise within one framework.<\/p>\n
Dubai Future Foundation launched the Dubai Future Foresight Awards at the conclusion of Dubai Future Forum 2024. The awards aim to celebrate innovators and future designers and highlight their meaningful achievements.<\/p>\n
The awards include three main categories: Future Foresight Leadership Award, Future Foresight for Societies Award, and Future Foresight for the Environment Award. These awards reflect the Foundation\u2019s interest in supporting ideas that provide future-oriented solutions serving people, society, and the environment.<\/p>\n
Dubai Future Accelerators, one of Dubai Future Foundation\u2019s initiatives, won the iF Design Award in 2022, one of the most recognized awards in the field of design and creative spaces.<\/p>\n
The model of the Arch of Triumph, the historic gateway of the ancient city of Palmyra, which Dubai Future Foundation recreated using 3D printing technology, also received the Vice-Chancellor\u2019s Public Engagement with Research Award from the University of Oxford. The recognition honored innovative projects that serve human communities and use technology to preserve cultural memory.<\/p>\n
Dubai Future Foundation works to build strategic partnerships with local and international entities, strengthening the position of Dubai and the UAE in technology, innovation, and artificial intelligence. Among these partnerships is the strategic agreement signed between the Foundation and IBM during the World Government Summit 2025, aimed at supporting Dubai and the UAE\u2019s position as a leading global center in the field of artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n
Dubai Future Foundation also signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Digital Dubai in 2024, based on shared goals related to building national talent capable of understanding the future, its technologies, skills, and tools. These agreements confirm that the Foundation does not operate in isolation, but builds a wide cooperation network that helps accelerate the adoption of future technologies and enhances institutional readiness for upcoming transformations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dubai Future Foundation is one of the leading institutions concerned with future foresight and future design in the United Arab Emirates and the wider Arab region.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":15104,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[256],"class_list":["post-15103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english-stories","tag-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uaehumanjourney.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15103","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uaehumanjourney.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uaehumanjourney.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uaehumanjourney.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uaehumanjourney.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15103"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uaehumanjourney.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15103\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15105,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uaehumanjourney.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15103\/revisions\/15105"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uaehumanjourney.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uaehumanjourney.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15103"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uaehumanjourney.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15103"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uaehumanjourney.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15103"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}