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 (DFF), today announced the launch of the Dubai Future Fellowship programme. The programme aims to engage current and future economic leaders to contribute towards shaping Dubai’s policies, regulations, and business practices and further enhancing the city’s leading regional and global role as an incubator for the most promising innovators of the future.

The programme has identified leading experts, entrepreneurs, innovators, and representatives of international organisations and institutions to join the programme aimed at reinforcing Dubai’s leadership in designing the future of vital sectors.

His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed said: “By establishing the Dubai Future Fellowship, overseen by the Dubai Future Foundation, we aim to provide a platform for impactful dialogue on creating a better future for all. The initiative is another significant step in Dubai’s journey to become a leading city of the future by fostering strong partnerships.”

His Highness further said: “Dubai continues to invest in designing the future. This initiative will act as a source and sounding platform for new initiatives and opportunities to strengthen Dubai’s economic competitiveness and its emergence as one of the world’s best places to live in. The ‘fellows’ in the programme will be trusted advisors who can help us develop new concepts that will boost Dubai’s readiness to integrate changes in the economy, technology, education, and all aspects of our daily lives.

“Identifying, working with, and trusting those who have intimate knowledge of Dubai and what is happening around us is a crucial part of our efforts to foresee, design and execute the future. These efforts are underpinned by the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.”

His Highness added: “The ‘fellows’ will work together to anticipate the future of key sectors, identify and harness opportunities, and study potential challenges. The ‘fellows’ will also shed light on the most significant global transformations, emerging technologies and new economic sectors.”

Diverse specialised fields

The Dubai Future Fellowship programme features diverse specialised fields including health, education, technology, entrepreneurship, retail, environment, banking, commerce, real estate, media and entertainment, law, arts, tourism, hospitality, sports, and space, among others.

International network

The fellowship represents an international network of distinguished personalities and experts who are known for their achievements in the government, economic, technological, and future sectors. The network will be instrumental in developing and implementing future-oriented strategies in Dubai and the UAE.

Enhancing Dubai’s competitiveness

The Dubai Future Fellowship programme will contribute to enhancing Dubai’s ranking in global competitiveness indices by providing recommendations on various key sectors, as well as addressing challenges and opportunities and suggesting new initiatives to further develop these sectors. The ‘fellows’ will hold regular meetings and workshops to discuss the future of key sectors in Dubai, in addition to preparing annual reports and launching specialised programmes and initiatives.

Further, the ‘fellows’ will help identify key sectors that will drive the future of Dubai’s economy. They will also suggest solutions to challenges and facilitate collaboration between the public and private sectors, both locally and internationally, to achieve this goal.