Organizers
UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment
The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) was established in February 2006 as the Ministry of Environment and Water. Under its redefined scope, the ministry has taken on a dual mandate. On the national level, it aims to strengthen the UAE’s efforts in preserving the environment and promoting food diversity in accordance with the nation’s aspiration to emerge as a key benchmark for sustainable development. On the global level, MOCCAE joins international stakeholders in combating climate change and profiles the UAE’s path-breaking achievements in the sector at thought leadership platforms worldwide.
Tamkeen
Tamkeen is an Abu Dhabi entity that partners with leading local and international institutions to deliver projects that enrich the UAE’s social, cultural, and educational landscape.
Lead Partner
Aspire
ASPIRE drives the creation of future transformative solutions as the program development pillar of Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC). ATRC is responsible for defining Abu Dhabi’s research and development strategy, consolidating funds for efficient investment, and driving policy and regulation. ASPIRE works in consultation with cross-sector industry stakeholders, universities and research institutes to frame problem statements. It also launches grand challenges and international competitions to solve some of the world’s most pressing issues. ASPIRE’s purpose is to bring together exceptional people, ideas, resources, and technologies to solve complex challenges.
Track Partners
ADQ
Inputs & Production
Established in 2018, ADQ is an Abu Dhabi-based investment and holding company with a broad portfolio of major enterprises. Its investments span key sectors of the UAE’s diversified economy including energy and utilities, food and agriculture, healthcare and life sciences, and mobility and logistics, amongst others. As a strategic partner of Abu Dhabi’s government, ADQ is committed to accelerating the transformation of the emirate into a globally competitive and knowledge-based economy.
Silal
Inputs & Production
Silal is part of ADQ, one of the region’s largest holding companies with a broad portfolio of major enterprises spanning key sectors of Abu Dhabi’s diversified economy. Silal was established in September 2020 to diversify sources of food products and stimulate local manufactured and agri-food sectors. The company works in line with the Abu Dhabi Government’s directives to promote food supply and distribution in the emirate. Silal’s mandates include empowering the food and agricultural sector and local farmers in Abu Dhabi, as well as managing procurement programmes and strategic stocks of foodstuffs, in cooperation with Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA). The company also executes specialised knowledge transfer programmes on desert farming techniques, and devises research and development projects to support the increase in local production of fruits and vegetables for smallholder farmers in the UAE.
Emirates Foundation
Food Waste & Loss
Emirates Foundation was launched on 12 April 2005 as an initiative of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. It is chaired by His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Emirates Foundation is a national organization set up to facilitate public-private funded initiatives to unite social responsibility across the UAE, by implementing research-based programs that meet the country’s needs towards sustainable community development. The Foundation works with public and private sector partners to meet national goals, respond to society’s most pressing challenges and in the development of national competencies through digital smart platforms and defined through data-driven social needs.
Enablement Partners
Abu Dhabi Global Market
Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), an international financial centre (IFC) located in the capital city of the United Arab Emirates, opened for business on 21 October 2015. Established by a UAE Federal Decree as a broad-based financial centre, ADGM augments Abu Dhabi’s position as a global trade and business hub serving as a strategic link between the growing economies of the Middle East, Africa and South Asia and the rest of the world.
ADGM’s strategy is anchored by Abu Dhabi’s key strengths spanning over private banking, wealth management, asset management, derivatives and commodities trading, financial innovation, sustainability and more. Comprising four independent authorities: the ADGM Authority, ADGM Courts, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority and the Registration Authority, ADGM as an IFC governs the entire 114 hectares (1.14sqkm) of Al Maryah Island which is a designated financial free zone.
It enables registered financial and non-financial institutions, companies and entities to operate, innovate and succeed within an international regulatory framework based on common law. Since its inception, ADGM has been awarded the “Financial Centre of the Year (MENA)” for four consecutive years for its initiatives and contributions to the financial and capital markets industry in the region.
The Abu Dhabi Residents Office
The Abu Dhabi Residents Office – a division of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development – was established to support the emirate’s thriving community. The office is dedicated to facilitating the affairs of the residents in Abu Dhabi and helping them settle in and integrate into a culturally rich society. The office also develops a range of smart services for the residency programmes aimed at attracting global talent, providing guidance and information to all newcomers and residents, as well as developing studies and work agendas that improve the emirate’s unique lifestyle. In addition, the office supports residents by contributing to the creation of policies to improve the lifestyle of everyone living in Abu Dhabi, now and in the future.
Catalyst
Catalyst, a Masdar & BP joint initiative, is a startup technology accelerator based in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi. It is the region’s first technology startup accelerator focused on sustainability and clean technology, supporting innovation and entrepreneurship through funding, training and mentorship.
Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development
Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development was established in 2007, by the virtue of the Law 14 of 2005 and its amendments, in the implementation of the vision of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi. The Khalifa Fund works as an independent, not-for-profit economic development agency of the Government of Abu Dhabi for the development and support of small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs). The Fund helps to develop local enterprises in Abu Dhabi through instilling and enriching an investment culture amongst UAE nationals. The Fund also seeks to support and develop SMEs in the Emirate.
Hub71
Hub71 is Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem that enables founders to build globally enduring homegrown tech companies in any sector by providing access to global markets, a capital ecosystem, a global network of partners, and a vibrant community filled with highly skilled talent, governed by forward-thinking regulation.
Backed by the Government of Abu Dhabi and Mubadala Investment Company, Hub71 is growing its vibrant community of tech startups, investors, government, and corporate partners to ensure the availability of investment, commercial activities, and incentives from the public and private sectors. Through Hub71’s entrepreneurial infrastructure, value-add programs, enabling services and support packages, founders can build and scale widely adopted technologies with purpose and impact. Hub71 is on a mission to introduce new minds and technologies to Abu Dhabi, finding new ways to build globally enduring technology companies and sustain the nation’s continuous economic development.
Outreach Partner
Forward Fooding
Forward Fooding is the world’s first collaborative platform for the food & beverage industry fostering innovation via AgriFoodTech Data Intelligence and corporate-startup collaboration. Since 2015 they have been acting as an ecosystem enabler to provide the necessary support and velocity to enable meaningful collaborations and partnerships between established food organizations and AgriFoodTech startup and scaleup companies. They are also the creator of the “FoodTech 500”. Inspired by the Fortune 500, this global ranking drafts the definitive list of the most groundbreaking global businesses at the intersection of food, technology & sustainability.