DUBAI // Dubai is to invest Dh4.5bn to make the emirate an innovation hub for global technology businesses and entrepreneurs.
The landmark development in the initiative will be a massive new centre of communications and technology facilities – at 150,000 square metres, the size of 21 football pitches.
The investment will also fund the expansion of Dubai Design District to include an arts and creativity community, and “incubation centres” for innovative entrepreneurs in the free zones.
The initiative is also aimed at encouraging small to medium start-ups at a time when their funding has been restricted by some traditional bank lenders.
It is thought most of the investment will be in developments close to the existing free zones of Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City and Knowledge Village, at the heart of Dubai’s premier commercial and residential zones.
The plan was announced at a ceremony on Monday to mark the 15th anniversary of DIC, the first non-industrial free zone, attended by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai.
“Dubai Internet City has supported the transformation of our national economy into a knowledge economy,” Sheikh Mohammed said. “We have kept pace with great changes in technology. Now the time has come for Internet City to become a creator of change.
“The future will belong to those who dare to take new paths. Recently we announced a national vision and a strategic plan on innovation, because this is how we will unlock added value for our nation. Today we announce a new bundle of initiatives that will make us the innovation capital for more than two billion people who live in the region around us.”
Sheikh Mohammed also urged the private sector to contribute more to establishing the UAE as a destination and capital for innovation.
“Our innovation facilities will soon open their doors to every talented pioneer, whether they are from the UAE, from the Arab world, or any other nation around the globe,” he said.
The aim is to attract the best minds to develop tools, create content, conduct research and develop applications. “We will connect them with opportunity in the smartest innovation environment in the world,” he said.
Mohammad Al Gergawi, the Minister for Cabinet Affairs and chairman of Dubai Holding, said DIC, funded originally by a $200m loan from HSBC, was the first of the knowledge-based free zones that have become the hallmark of the emirate.
“Now those free zones employ 70,000 people in 4,500 companies. It was a calculated risk at the time, but it has put Dubai and the UAE on the right path to becoming a high-tech leader in the internet and communications, and it has been emulated by many other countries.”
When the new developments are completed, nearly a million square metres of Dubai’s free zones will be dedicated to innovation and incubation of new entrepreneurial concepts.
Mr Al Gergawi said the new fund would be used to “support youth, for small business innovation and the creation of technical clusters” that would make Dubai an “innovation capital”.
He said the vision to create DIC was Sheikh Mohammed’s. “He took me to the desert one day and showed me a place where people had lived 3,500 years ago. He said they made an innovative economy, and so shall we.”
fkane@thenational.ae
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Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
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Avengers 3: Infinity War: an American superhero film released in 2018 and based on the Marvel Comics story.
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Lucifer: is a 2019 Malayalam-language action film. It dives into the gritty world of Kerala’s politics and has become one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time.
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UAE cricketers abroad
Sid Jhurani is not the first cricketer from the UAE to go to the UK to try his luck.
Rameez Shahzad Played alongside Ben Stokes and Liam Plunkett in Durham while he was studying there. He also played club cricket as an overseas professional, but his time in the UK stunted his UAE career. The batsman went a decade without playing for the national team.
Yodhin Punja The seam bowler was named in the UAE’s extended World Cup squad in 2015 despite being just 15 at the time. He made his senior UAE debut aged 16, and subsequently took up a scholarship at Claremont High School in the south of England.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Bah
Born: 1972
Husband: Emirati lawyer Salem Bin Sahoo, since 1992
Children: Soud, born 1993, lawyer; Obaid, born 1994, deceased; four other boys and one girl, three months old
Education: BA in Elementary Education, worked for five years in a Dubai school
Business Insights
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Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
