Nad Zabeel: Dubai unveils mega project to 'shape the future'

Dubai has unveiled an ambitious master plan for a sprawling research hub which is primed to drive future progress across artificial intelligence, advanced technology and health care and help "transform knowledge into new economic and development opportunities".

Nad Zabeel, heralded as the emirate's future research, development and innovation campus, is set to be built within five years and aims to bring together universities, technology companies, investors and government departments under one roof.

The centre of excellence, to be located in Zabeel Park, will house laboratories, scientific and research centres and creative and innovation incubators and attract leading scientists, researchers, engineers and other specialised talent from the Emirates and across the globe.

The cutting-edge vision for the future was announced on Sunday, in the presence of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai.

The mega project was launched by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Dubai Future Foundation.

Sheikh Hamdan paid to the vision of the Dubai Ruler to "institutionalise an integrated government framework centred on anticipating and shaping the future".

"This transformed future thinking from a series of standalone initiatives and projects into a sustainable institutional approach," Sheikh Hamdan said.

“This journey began years ago, turning Mohammed bin Rashid’s vision into an integrated ecosystem of institutions, initiatives and projects that design the future and prepare for its transformations.

“Today, this ecosystem includes the Museum of the Future, Dubai Future Foundation, Dubai Future Accelerators, Dubai Future Labs and Dubai Future Academy. Together, these institutions and initiatives anticipate transformations, develop talent, test solutions and translate ideas into practical applications.

Championing innovation

“We continue this journey today with the launch of Nad Zabeel, a major addition to Dubai’s future-shaping ecosystem and a global centre bringing scientific research, development and innovation together to transform knowledge into new economic and development opportunities.”

Sheikh Hamdan said Dubai's investment in the research centre underlined its commitment to embracing technology and expertise to meet the challenges of tomorrow.

"Shaping the future in Dubai is not a slogan or a temporary project, but an integrated institutional system established by Mohammed bin Rashid that we continue to develop and build upon," he said.

“Our goal is to keep Dubai ahead in anticipating global transformations, developing solutions to future challenges, attracting the world’s leading minds and expertise, and reinforcing its position as a global centre for knowledge creation and shaping the future.”

The campus will provide a base for entities developing future legislation, in addition to promising start-ups, and local and international investment companies.

It will include leisure facilities and dedicated spaces for scientific and professional events and gatherings.

Nad Zabeel will seek to strengthen collaboration between government, investors, researchers and start-ups through accelerator and incubator programmes that support promising companies and help them access the investment required to grow and scale.

More than 30,000 scientists, researchers and entrepreneurs are expected to participate in its programmes and events annually.

The launch of Nad Zabeel supports the objectives of the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33), which is comprised of 100 transformative projects and aims to double the size of Dubai’s economy by 2033 while consolidating its position among the world’s top three cities for business.

Nad Zabeel will be central to the efforts of the Dubai Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Ecosystem, established under the directives of Sheikh Hamdan in December 2025.

Overseen by Dubai Future Foundation, the ecosystem provides an umbrella for current and future projects and initiatives across research, development and innovation.

It supports government and private sector bodies in Dubai and across the UAE in developing high-impact ideas based on emerging technologies and advanced applications.

The name Nad Zabeel draws on the Emirati word ‘nad,’ meaning elevated ground and was chosen to reflect Dubai's ambitions to reach new heights in research, knowledge and innovation.