30 global entities to help shape Dubai's future

A view of Dubai Marina from Shaikh Zayed Road. (Rahul Gajjar/ Khaleej Times)

Companies involved in hyperloop, self-driving cars, robot builders and 3D organ printing are among 30 names shortlisted for the Dubai Future Accelerators (DFA) programme.
The 12-week long programme, an initiative of the Dubai Future Foundation intends to create breakthrough solutions in cooperation with competent global entities.
The companies chosen were whittled down from 2,274 applications from 73 countries from across the world. Less than two per cent of applicants were accepted into the programme, which is part of the Waqf's $275-million "Future Fund".
These 30 companies will work with the seven government authorities participating in the DFA to develop and test products and solutions for the challenges that face key economic and strategic sectors in the cities of the 21st century in the UAE, which could also be applied to countries in the region and around the world.
"Through this initiative, the UAE is seeking to redefine the international role of business accelerators," said Mohammed Al Gergawi, vice-chairman and managing director of DFA.
"These accelerators will now adhere to the government's agenda and strategies, and serve as a catalyst to research and development within the most strategic sectors, such as education, health, infrastructure, transportation, and energy.
They will provide a global platform to develop new and innovative solutions to the most pressing challenges facing society."
Al Gergawi also noted that the initiative seeks to achieve the targets of the DFA by ensuring sustainability and innovation within the UAE's strategic sectors, and will explore new sectors based on up and coming technologies which could create a market worth billions of dollars.
"Now that we have concluded the selection phase of the programme, we can go ahead with the actual testing stage for the innovative solutions in cooperation with the relevant authorities," said Saif Al Aleeli, CEO of Future Foundation.
Among the prominent names on the short-listed companies include Hyperloop One, which is developing a transportation system set to outpace the speed of light; Next Future Transportation, specialising in mass-transit solutions and self-driving vehicles; Concensys, the world's largest software provider for app developers and Honeywell, the Fortune 100 company working on developing digital systems for the healthcare sector.
reporters@khaleejtimes.com