His Excellency Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and The Future and Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Dubai Future Foundation, said the Foundation will work to implement its new strategy to strengthen the role of individuals, organisations and sectors to shape the future through innovative initiatives and global partnerships, providing support and best infrastructure to create futuristic services for humanity.

His Excellency Al Gergawi said the Dubai Future Agenda was launched recently by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, as a strategic framework for the Foundation to exchange international expertise and successful practices in various industries of the future through global partnerships.

The Foundation will promote the leading position of Dubai and the UAE as a global hub for the development of future technologies in all sectors and around the world to support growth and prosperity, he added.

His Excellency Al Gergawi stated this during the announcement of the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Dubai Future Foundation and Global Innovation Network 1776 to advance technological transformation in crucial industries related to society’s most important needs.

The agreement aims to activate the Future Partners Programme within the Dubai Future Agenda. The Programme will feature a network of global partners in the areas of innovation, research and development, and establish specialised companies in consulting, modelling and future design in addition to the launch of joint initiatives with international companies and key players in the field of innovation research and development around the world.

The agreement will work on attracting leading education, energy, food, water, transportation and health startups from all parts of the world to Dubai to drive the UAE’s major initiatives to revitalize industries and sectors of the future.

On the occasion, Saif Al Aleeli, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Future Foundation, said: “We are pleased to welcome Global Innovation Network 1776 as a strategic partner to help develop a regulatory framework that supports and encourages the exponential growth of startups at the regional level within strategic sectors of the UAE, and to promote Dubai’s position as a global centre of innovation and future technologies.”

Al Aleeli added: “Dubai Future Foundation and Global Innovation Network 1776 share a commitment to accelerate the global innovation ecosystem through groundbreaking technologies. By working together, we can enhance the UAE’s role as a crucial player in innovation in vital industries that directly affect the most important aspects of our lives.”

This new partnership will launch a 1776 campus in Jumeirah Emirates Towers to showcase the Foundation exhibitions, host events and cultivate the flourishing startups driving transformational change across these critical sectors.

Evan Burfield, Cofounder & Co-CEO of Global Innovation Network 1776, stressed the importance of this partnership and said: “1776 is building a global network of startups, investors and institutions committed to reshaping the way we function, and we could not find a better partner in the MENA region than the UAE and the Dubai Future Foundation. Their vision perfectly aligns with ours, and we look forward to transforming major sectors together.”

1776 is the global innovation network that uncovers promising highly scalable startups focused on solving the world’s most fundamental challenges and helps engineer their success. From its headquarters in Washington, D.C., it is sparking a global movement of high-growth startups driving meaningful innovation through its Challenge Cup and Startup Federation, the premiere network of incubators throughout the world.

Since its establishment in August 2015, Dubai Future Foundation has signed several agreements with government entities, companies as well as academic and international organisations, including: Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, IEEE, Shenzhen Foundation for International Cooperation, UNESCO, IDA, General Electric, and others.

The Foundation has also launched many successful initiatives at the international level, including the UAE Drones for Good, the UAE AI & Robotics Award for Good, as well as the world’s first 3D printed office in Dubai.

The Foundation has also established the World Federation of Future Sports as an organisation to oversee the future sports sector and advance research and development in the field of future technologies. The Federation will organise the World Future Sports Games.