Masdar City continues to attract global, regional innovation giants

Masdar City continues to attract global, regional innovation giants

Masdar City, the sustainable urban development in the UAE, is set to play a key role in the global green recovery from COVID-19 as it continues to add sustainability-focused innovation and technology companies. The number of companies in Masdar City's freezone increased by 26 per cent in 2020, indicating the important role of the City and its offerings to innovation-led companies, including G42 Healthcare, whose laboratories and testing centres were central to the UAE's pandemic response. The figures emphasise the essential need for innovation in progressing the green transition through the development and commercialisation of new technologies. Masdar City is Abu Dhabi's only planned and approved research and development (R&D) cluster and is now home to more than 900 companies, ranging from multinationals and SMEs, to homegrown startups. These companies are developing ground-breaking technological solutions to some of the world's most pressing environmental challenges, across the key sectors of energy, water, artificial intelligence, health, space, agriculture, and mobility. "The UAE leadership has made a longstanding commitment to progressive climate action and recognises the integral part that innovation plays in advancing the global green recovery,“ said Abdulla Balalaa, Executive Director, Masdar City. "The COVID-19 pandemic has further underlined the links between