• A new initiative within the Dubai Future Accelerators program to strengthen government and private partnerships
• Program seeks to employ the latest advanced technologies in construction sector
• Participation of companies from UAE, KSA, USA, Singapore, the UK, Hong Kong, Switzerland and Australia

Dubai Future Foundation and Dubai Municipality announced the launch of the ‘Future of Construction Tech’ program within Dubai Future Accelerators (DFA). The program drew the participation of 10 companies from the UAE and across the world with the aim of creating quality and technologically-advanced solutions to enhance supervision and inspection services in buildings either under construction or completed, building project quality control systems, and ensuring construction operations adhere to all safety standards.

The launch of the program is a new step that contributes to strengthening partnerships between government entities and startups to employ innovative technology and improve the performance of future sectors in Dubai and in the UAE.

Dawood Al Hajri, Director General of Dubai Municipality, emphasized that accelerating the employment of advanced technology is a main pillar in the design and development of future cities. He stressed DM’ keenness to adopt the latest innovative technologies and explore emerging trends to enhance Dubai’s position as a global smart city and a preferred destination to live, work and explore creativity.

He added: “This partnership with Dubai Future Foundation embodies Dubai Municipality’s commitment to work with various government entities, emerging companies and business leaders from around the world to chart the future of construction. It allows us to keep pace with the rapid changes through advanced technologies that contribute to enhancing levels of efficiency, effectiveness, quality and speeding up construction work.”

For his part, Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of Dubai Future Foundation stated that the Foundation’s strategy adopted by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Dubai Future Foundation, has laid out the most prominent features of the Foundation’s work during the coming period. The strategy is based on accelerating the adoption of innovation in various vital sectors, enhancing investments in applied Research and Development (R&D), and activating the role of advanced technology and smart solutions to meet various challenges and turn them into opportunities.

He added: “The launch of “The Future of Construction Tech” program in partnership with Dubai Municipality comes within the framework of offering versatile opportunities through Dubai Future Accelerators and its diverse network of relationships with government agencies and international and local startups. Therefore, contributing new solutions is key to enhance quality standards and anticipate the upcoming shifts in the construction sector.”

Program Phases

During the first phase, DFF will host a workshop to introduce the participants to the challenges, objectives and outcomes set by DM. At the end of the first phase, each company will be invited to present its proposed solution to a committee.

In the second phase and once travel restrictions have been lifted, and the global situation around COVID-19 is settled, five out of ten selected companies will continue with an in-residence program in Dubai to work on a proof of concept.

The third and final phase of the program will witness the selection of finalists who will work directly with DM to implement the project and ensure speedy completion and measurement of results. DFF, for its part, provides the companies with a co-working space post the program and with registration, if required.

The shortlisted companies include InfraLytiks from the UAE, Falconviz from KSA, BIM6D from Spain, Glaass from Australia, Wingtra from Switzerland, UIB from Singapore, Airworks and NXT Robotics from USA, Innovair Limited and Unmanned Life from UK.

Shortlisting criteria include general idea of the solution and its model, the costs of its application on ground, the timeframe for the project’s implementation and identification of the best technological solutions.

DFA, an initiative by DFF, facilitates the collaboration between government entities and private sector organizations with start-ups, scale-ups and innovative SMEs from around the world to co-create solutions for the bold challenges of tomorrow.