Dubai Future Accelerators

Dubai Future Accelerators (DFA) launched its third cohort, welcoming its largest participation of hand-selected individuals, companies and government entities to date. Acknowledged as a ‘unique program for cutting-edge entrepreneurs’, DFA was created to attract the most highly skilled from sectors including energy, education, security, and transportation for the purposes of discussing innovative ideas, before selecting, approving and executing a variety of strategies through public-private partnerships, using Dubai as its ‘testbed’.

Amongst the 46 companies selected by the Dubai Future Foundation, Doka Gulf was selected for its commitment to innovation, and its shared vision for a safer, faster, and more sustainable construction industry. Doka Gulf will be supported by sister companies’ B|A|S Research & Technology and Contour Crafting Corporation. As a collective, the consortium is fuelling the momentum of disruptive technology within the construction sector, and supporting Dubai’s vision to be the global leader in industrial 3D printing.

Speaking on behalf of Doka Gulf, Michael Arnold, managing director said, “It is a great honour to have been selected for this year’s Dubai Future Accelerators, and to contribute with a clear road map that not only seeks to engage in debate about a better collective future, but to also invest in its realisation. It is thanks to this collective mentality that Doka Gulf will be able to add significant value to this year’s program, and towards Dubai’s reputation as a centre for innovation.”

Launched in July 2016 by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, the Dubai Future Accelerator is part of a larger program called the Dubai Future Agenda, and is hosted by the Dubai Future Foundation in partnership with seven founding entities of the Dubai Government.

The program itself is conducted over nine weeks, and is structured into eight stages providing enough time for dialogue, workshops and various cultural activities.

Speaking on behalf of the DFA, Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of Dubai Future Accelerators said, “As with each of the previous cohorts, there has been an immense amount of preparation for both today’s launch, and for the subsequent nine weeks. This is our biggest cohort to date, and we are excited to see not only what projects can be created, but what impact these PPP’s will have for global innovation.”

As part of the application process, each company was required to address a particular challenge set by Dubai government entities. In the case of Doka Gulf, the Dubai Municipality set forth the challenge to ‘implement 3D printing technology in 25% of Dubai buildings by 2030.’

“Innovation has always been at the heart of Doka. In being selected to be a part of the DFA, we have the opportunity to collectively apply our cutting-edge ideas, and make them a reality. 3D printing allows for a more sustainable construction activity in terms of labour costs and project duration, with less waste produced,” commented Taher Rihawi, head of consulting, Doka Gulf.

Thanks to the generosity of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Future Endowment Fund has provided AED1bn ($275million), for projects and companies taking part in the DFA program and will be applied on a discretionary basis over the next five years.