Dubai has announced Nad Zabeel, a new campus for research, design and innovation. It aims to bring in 30,000 researchers and specialists.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, announced the project.

His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched it. He is Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Dubai Future Foundation.

Key facts

• Location: Zabeel Park, Dubai
• Target: 30,000 researchers and specialists
• Facilities: Laboratories, scientific and research centres, and creative and innovation incubators
• Talent pool: Scientists, researchers, engineers and innovators from the UAE, the region and around the world
• Wider role: A base for global partnerships, joint initiatives and large-scale research projects
• Ecosystem link: Incubator for the Dubai Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Ecosystem, set up under Sheikh Hamdan’s directives in December 2025

Where it fits

Nad Zabeel joins three existing institutions: Dubai Future Foundation, the Museum of the Future and the Dubai Future Academy. Together they form a cluster focused on foresight and future-readiness. Researchers and specialists will be able to use the campus’s services to develop future sectors that directly affect human life.

Sheikh Mohammed announced the launch in a post on X. He said a nation’s challenges come less from how fast the future arrives than from how slowly it prepares for it, and that the future has to be made, not waited for.

The name

“Nad” is an Emirati word meaning elevated ground. The name refers to the campus’s distinctive architecture and to Dubai’s ambition to reach new heights in research, knowledge and innovation.

Location

Nad Zabeel will be within one kilometre of several prominent landmarks and business centres, including Burj Khalifa, Dubai International Financial Centre, the Museum of the Future, Emirates Towers and Dubai Frame. That suggests the campus could be near the park’s southern or eastern edge, but the Dubai Government is yet to say which part of the park it will use.