Dubai Resilience
Challenge Fund

This grant round funds applied research and pilot projects that make Dubai’s systems more resilient in real life, not just on paper. Priority is given to projects that address clearly evidenced resilience gaps or vulnerabilities in Dubai’s systems. The Fund covers three pre-defined challenge areas:

Cognitive Cities

Design and test solutions that help entities responsible for operating critical infrastructure and services in Dubai predict problems early, adjust operations automatically, and avoid failures and service interruptions during high stress and peak operating conditions.

Health & Life Sciences

Design and test solutions that predict health risks early, protect vulnerable groups, and keep people healthy and productive under Dubai’s real operating conditions, while ensuring healthcare and public health services can absorb and manage recurrent surges in demand driven by environmental conditions (such as heat and air quality), communicable diseases, and chronic conditions.

Environmental Science

Design and test solutions that significantly reduce resource use and environmental impacts, strengthen natural and hybrid systems, and deliver measurable environmental benefits while supporting Dubai’s economic growth and urban functionality in line with its clean energy, circular economy, and sustainability agendas.

Key Dates*

Untitled Document

19th May

Open Call for Letters of Intent (LOI)

11th June

Deadline for LOI submissions

24th June

Invite shortlisted applicants to submit full proposals

22nd July

Deadline for full proposal submissions

1st October

Announcement of selected applications for funding

*Indicative timeline only: The dates in this timeline are provided for planning purposes and may be adjusted if required. While we will make every reasonable effort to follow the published schedule, we cannot guarantee that all stages will occur on the exact dates indicated. Should the timeline need to change, we will inform applicants as early and clearly as possible.

Application
Process

Applications follow a two-stage process:

Program
summary

Purpose

To fund applied research and pilot projects that strengthen Dubai’s resilience across critical infrastructure, health, and environmental systems with solutions tested in real operational environments in Dubai and a clear pathway to adoption or commercialisation.

Challenge Areas

Proposals must be submitted under one primary challenge area:

Each challenge area contains several focus areas. Applicants must identify and address at least one. Full details are provided in the Resilience Challenge Fund Guidelines and FAQ.

Project Duration

Up to three years per project:

Funding Range

Up to AED 2,000,000 per project

Program
Objectives

Address industry- and government-defined resilience problems
Close the gap between research and real-world deployment
Advance critical technologies to deployment-readiness (TRL 4–7)
Deliver measurable resilience improvements across all three domains (Cognitive Cities; Health & Life Sciences and Environmental Science)
Accelerate commercialisation of research into market-ready solutions
Generate sustained economic value aligned with Dubai's strategic priorities
Connect government and industry to world-class R&D capability
Build lasting applied research capacity with local and international reach
Establish Dubai as a globally competitive applied research and innovation hub
Deliver tangible benefits to Dubai's communities

Expected
Outcomes

Dubai's research, government, and industry ecosystem moves from parallel working to active co-production.
Research findings are systematically translated into operational use.
A portfolio of validated, deployment-ready technologies advances to TRL 4–7 across all three challenge domains.
Dubai's critical infrastructure systems demonstrate measurably improved operational performance.
Dubai's most vulnerable populations are better protected from environmental health pressures.
Dubai's resource systems and ecosystems show measurable improvements in efficiency, circularity, and ecological health.
Funded innovations generate economic value and reach commercial viability.
Dubai is established as a globally recognised centre of applied urban, health and environmental resilience research.
Generate peer-reviewed publications, patents, and spin-off opportunities.
Deepen applied R&D capability within Dubai's research institutions.

Eligibility

Led by Dubai-based universities or research institutions.
The Principal Investigator (PI) must be fully affiliated with a Dubai-based Higher Education Institution (HEI), research centre, or institute, not visiting or adjunct faculty.
The PI must have a PhD degree in a field relevant to the selected challenge area and demonstrate a track record of research excellence.
At least 50% of the grant funding must be utilised within Dubai.
Proposals must include at least one Dubai-based government or UAE-based industry partner, identified at Letter of Intent stage and evidenced by a signed letter of collaboration. A three-way consortium (University + Government + Industry) is the strongest model; a two-party consortium is acceptable where a third partner would not add clear value.

Evaluation Criteria

Letter of Intent (LOI)

Strategic Alignment — The degree to which the proposal addresses a defined Dubai resilience challenge and contributes to Dubai's long-term strategic priorities.
Technical & Scientific Excellence — The rigour, innovation, and feasibility of the proposed research approach, including evidence of advancement beyond current practice.
Partnership Quality — The strength and relevance of government and/or industry partners, clarity of roles, and evidence of genuine commitment to collaborate.
Execution Capability — The team's ability to deliver: experience, work plan realism, budget appropriateness, and access to required infrastructure and data.
Impact & Scalability — The clarity of the pathway from pilot to deployment, adoption, or commercialisation, and the potential to generate transferable knowledge beyond the project.

Institutional Support Requirements

Letter of Intent must be endorsed by the applicant’s institution and demonstrate:

Reduced teaching load for faculty and research team members leading the project.
Fast-tracked procurement processes to facilitate RDI activities.
Expedited hiring procedures to support project staffing.
Flexibility in recruiting research staff including research assistants and engineers.
Submission of a Letter of Institutional Commitment.
Submission of Letters of Collaboration from all key partners.

Before You Apply

The Resilience Challenge Fund Guidelines contain full details on challenge focus areas, partnership requirements, evaluation criteria, and what the fund will and will not support. The FAQ covers eligibility, funding, phasing, and the application process. Read both before submitting your Letter of Intent.

Dubai Resilience Challenge Fund

Upcoming Due Dates