Dubai Research, Development and Innovation Grant Program (UAE)

They invite universities and research institutes based in Dubai, in collaboration with local and international universities and institutes, to submit proposals for research projects that demonstrate clear scientific merit and potential for societal and economic impact, and alignment with national or emirate-level innovation agendas.

Focus Areas

• Reduced teaching load for faculty leading the project
• Fast-tracked procurement to facilitate RDI activities
• Expedited hiring processes to support project staffing
• Flexibility to recruit research staff including assistants and engineers
• Submission of Letter of Institutional Commitment
• Submission of Letter of Collaboration

Funding Information

• Grants will range between AED 500,000 and AED 1,500,000 per project, based on proposal quality and budget justification.
• The annual budget per project should not exceed AED 500,000.
• Proposals must span a minimum of 1 year and a maximum of 3 years.

Eligibility Criteria

• Principal Investigators (PIs) should be fully affiliated with a Dubai-based Higher Education Institution (HEI), research centre or institute.
• PIs must have a PhD degree in a field relevant to RDI priority areas.
• PIs must have a track record of research excellence.
• At least 50% of the grant funding must be utilised within Dubai.
• PIs who applied in the first round can submit.
• PIs who were awarded in the first round are eligible to submit.

Evaluation Criteria

• Intellectual Merit: The extent to which the project is based on firm scientific principles and has the potential to advance fundamental knowledge in the field of interest.
• Technical Approach/Methodology: The soundness of the methods, experiments, observations, data, and procedures to be used to accomplish the project objectives.
• Relevance: The extent to which the project will contribute to progress in one or more of the Dubai RDI Priority Areas.
• Partnerships/Capacity Building: The potential for the project is to establish strategic partnerships between Dubai institutions of higher education and other local and international institutions.
• Deliverables: Does the proposal identify specific deliverables that are achievable and impactful, with timelines and milestones for completion?
• Innovation: The uniqueness and creativity of the planned methodology and outcomes relative to the global state-of-the-art in the field of interest.
• Potential for Impact: The likelihood that the project will lead to transformative progress in the relevant priority area.
• Management Plan: The soundness of the plan to ensure close coordination and oversight of collaborators, adherence to scheduled milestones, closure on scientific research questions, and completion of deliverables.
• Risk/Risk Mitigation: The extent to which the proposers have identified potential risks and described plans for mitigating those risks.
• Budget: The adequacy and relevance of the requested budget for supporting the proposed research and technology development.

For more information, visit Dubai Future Foundation.