NEP 2.0

As the Head of Labs at the Dubai Future Foundation, Khalifa is in the process of establishing the Gulf region’s first applied research center focused on robotics and automation. To accomplish this he has travelled throughout Europe and North America to build a network of industry-leading partners and attract R&D to the UAE. “Our country has an unparalleled infrastructure, especially for manufacturing. Corporations are looking to diversify the location of their supply chains, and this provides an excellent opportunity for the UAE to attract new foreign direct investments.” 

The use of robotics and Artificial Intelligence will streamline production processes, helping us make more effective decisions. Many economists believe that though automation will replace one-third of all jobs by 2030, more positions will be created overall than lost. However, governments need to make sure their citizens aren’t overlooked in the movement towards automation and should start looking at policies to regulate new technologies so they remain transparent. 

With the experience gained in the National Experts Program he wants to help take Dubai Future Foundation to the next level. “We want to become the region’s experts in applied tech R&D tech space. There is an abundance of space and energy that could be leveraged for setup and expansion. The country is geographically and socially well positioned, which helps in transporting what is produced effectively and also helps in attracting talent from around the region and the globe to the sector.