The Dubai government on Tuesday said it plans to invest 1 billion dirhams ($275 million) over the next five years in a new initiative that challenges global companies to brainstorm technological advances across several sectors, including healthcare and urban planning.
The initiative, Dubai Future Accelerators (DFA), was launched by the Dubai government and Dubai Holding earlier this year to harness new technologies, such as robotics, artificial intelligence, 3D printing, biomimicry, and biotechnology, to address challenges expected to be faced by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the next decade.
The main focus will be on healthcare, transportation, renewable energy, sustainability, education, security, and urban planning, the Dubai Future Foundation, which is behind the initiative, said in a press release.
The DFA "will be an important and strategic contribution to the regional investment market, attracting the world's best start-ups and companies to compete for new opportunities that make a positive difference in the world," cabinet minister Mohammed Al Gergawi, who is vice chairman of Dubai Future Foundation, was quoted as saying in the statement.
The foundation's CEO, Said Al Aleeli, said that the competition would create a "global market worth billions of dollars" to help solve challenges common to governments around the world related to urban planning, infrastructure and social services.
The challenges range from reducing water and energy consumption, to developing prototype automated transport systems that reduce congestion and carbon dioxide emissions, to enhancing policing through "integrated behavioural, genetic and biological systems" to track criminals.
The Dubai Future Foundation is already housed in the world's first 3D printed building, and Dubai Municipality is aiming to build on this and use new technologies such as robotics and biomimicry to develop 'nature-inspired' buildings that will use three times less energy and carbon dioxide and are five times more efficient.
Companies can now apply online at www.dubaifutureaccelerators.com to be part of the program.
Source: https://www.zawya.com/mena/en/business/technology/story/ZAWYA20160802092026/