Dubai Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Projects Funding

Second Funding Round

Following the success of the inaugural round, the Dubai Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) Grant Initiative is pleased to announce the launch of its Second Funding Round. This initiative supports ambitious, high-impact research projects that align with Dubai’s strategic priorities in science, technology, and innovation. We 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.

Preliminary Timeline

May 15

Soft funding call announcement

May 30

Official call announcement for Letter of Intent submissions (LoI)

June 13

Letters of intent submission deadline

July 15

Notifications of shortlisted applicants to submit full proposals

August 15

Deadline for full proposal submissions

September 10

Announcements of selected applications for funding

Key Information

Eligibility:

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.

Project Duration:

Funding Range:

Application Process

Full application guidelines, thematic focus areas, and submission procedures will be available at a later stage.

Preliminary Timeline:

May 15: Soft funding call announcement
May 30: Official call announcement for Letter of Intent submissions (LoI)
June 13: Letters of intent submission deadline
July 15: Notifications of shortlisted applicants to submit full proposals
August 15: Deadline for full proposal submissions
September 10: Announcements of selected applications for funding

Evaluation Criteria

For Letters of Intent:

Relevance to Dubai RDI Priority Areas
Research partnerships and capacity building potential
Innovation in methodology and outcomes
Potential for impact in strategic sectors
Budget adequacy and alignment with guidelines

The following criteria will be used for evaluating the full applications:

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, and its adherence to the budget guidelines.

Institutional Support

Proposals must be endorsed by the applicant’s institution and demonstrate the following support measures:

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

RDI Grant initiative Round 2 – Priority Areas

Targeting research that redefines how we live, move, and heal.

Cognitive Cities

Smart mobility
Next-generation built environments and infrastructure
Climate-neutral and resilient urban systems
Urban health intelligence for proactive well-being

Health & Life Sciences

Biological discovery and systems science
Clinical and translational health
Health innovation and engineering
Biomanufacturing and synthetic biology

Domains

Cognitive Cities

This domain supports research that shapes the future of urban environments through smarter infrastructure, mobility, sustainability, and population health, assisted by technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics.

This call targets four topics under Cognitive Cities:

Health & Life Sciences

This domain supports research that advances biological science, health technologies, and bio-based innovation to transform diagnostics, therapeutics, and human performance.

This call targets four topics under Health & Life Sciences:

Cross-cutting technologies

To support innovation across both Cognitive Cities and Health & Life Sciences, this call encourages the use of a range of enabling cross-cutting technologies. These are tools and platforms that help unlock new solutions, improve system performance, and accelerate real-world impact.

Technologies of interest include:

Artificial intelligence
Robotics
Internet of Things (IoT), edge computing, and digital twins
Advanced computing and quantum technologies
Cybersecurity, blockchain, and privacy-preserving systems
Immersive and spatial computing (eg: AR/VR)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What are the priority areas of the call?

The call targets two main domains: Cognitive Cities and Health & Life Sciences.

What topics are covered under Cognitive Cities?

Cognitive Cities include four topics:

Smart mobility: Exploration of integrated, intelligent, and low-emission mobility solutions that enhance accessibility, safety, and urban flow across all modes of transport.
Next-generation built environments and infrastructure: Rethinking how cities are constructed and operated – from advanced materials and automated systems and energy performance – with an emphasis on resilience, adaptability, and human-centered design.
Climate-neutral and resilient urban systems: Advancing urban systems that reduce environmental impact and strengthen resilience through a combination of technological, ecological, and systems-level innovations – enabling climate adaptation, resource efficiency, and pollution prevention.
Urban health intelligence for proactive well-being: Integration of data, designs, and environmental insights to promote healthier cities – enabling preventive action and informed decision-making for population-level health.

What examples of research areas could be covered under Cognitive Cities?

Potential examples of research areas under Cognitive Cities

Smart mobility
Examples may include: AI-enabled traffic management, efficient transportation, multimodal logistics, or sustainable last-mile delivery operations.
Next-generation built environments and infrastructure
Examples may include: modular construction using robotics, smart infrastructure systems with embedded sensing, or the use of novel materials for low-carbon and adaptive buildings.
Climate-neutral and resilient urban systems
Examples may include: integrated air-quality monitoring networks, circular waste-to-energy ecosystems, nature-based infrastructure, or urban climate risk platforms.
Urban health intelligence for proactive well-being
Examples may include: urban-scale health informatics, AI for community risk detection, or early-warning systems for public health management.

What topics are covered under Health & Life Sciences?

Health & Life Sciences include four topics:

Biological discovery and systems science: Research that enhances understanding of biological processes, disease mechanisms, and the interplay between genetics, environment, and behaviour.
Clinical and translational health: Bridging science and care through innovations in diagnostics, therapeutics, and personalised approaches to disease prevention and management.
Health innovation and engineering: Development of next-generation tools and platforms – including digital health, robotics, and wearable technologies – to enable new models of care, recovery, and health monitoring.
Biomanufacturing and synthetic biology: Advancing engineered biological systems for sustainable production in food, agriculture, and industrial biotechnology.

What examples of research areas could be covered under Health & Life Sciences?

Potential examples of research areas under Health & Life Sciences

Biological discovery and systems science
Examples may include: aging and longevity science, microbiome-function studies, bioenergy, or systems-level modelling of disease pathways.
Clinical and translational health
Examples may include: precision diagnostics, regenerative medicine, or AI-assisted clinical workflows.
Health innovation and engineering
Examples may include: remote health monitoring, surgical robotics, injury-prevention wearables for athletes, or assistive technologies for rehabilitation.
Biomanufacturing and synthetic biology
Examples may include: cell-cultured food, microbial platforms for enzyme or material production, or synthetic biology for bio-based chemicals.

What cross-cutting technologies are encouraged in the call?

The call encourages the use of various enabling cross-cutting technologies, including:

Artificial intelligence
Robotics
Internet of Things (IoT), edge computing, and digital twins
Advanced computing and quantum technologies
Advanced materials and nano-engineering
Cybersecurity, blockchain, and privacy-preserving systems
Immersive and spatial computing (e.g., AR/VR)

We welcome bold, future-focused proposals that will help shape Dubai’s knowledge economy and reinforce its global leadership in research, development, and innovation.