The UAE has unveiled a bold new national programme aiming to attract 1,000 leading multinational companies by 2030. The plan targets key sectors like AI, biotech, space, agri-tech and renewable energy, positioning the Emirates as a global innovation magnet. The move is part of the UAE’s long-term economic vision to shift from oil dependence to a knowledge-driven, diversified economy.
The air buzzes with ambition inside Abu Dhabi’s gleaming new business centre. Laptops blink, voices rise in a dozen languages, and someone clinks a coffee cup on a marble table. This is no ordinary networking event. It’s the launchpad of the UAE’s most ambitious economic programme yet — a strategic mission to welcome 1,000 global companies to its shores by 2030.
It's not just about foreign offices. It's about roots. Real presence. The UAE wants companies to build, test, invent, and grow from here — in fields that matter to the future of humanity.
“This is about shaping the next global innovation hubs,” says Mariam Al Kaabi, one of the programme’s architects. “We want the world’s best minds and companies to see the UAE not just as a base, but as home.”
The initiative falls under the “We the UAE 2031” national vision, with a laser-focus on five critical industries:
To lure the right players, the UAE offers a mix of incentives: fast-track licensing, flexible visa schemes, competitive taxation, and access to world-class infrastructure and talent networks. The government also promises strategic partnerships with local universities, incubators, and regulators.
Roadshows are already underway in Silicon Valley, Berlin, Singapore and beyond. The message: come build the future in the UAE. In Dubai Silicon Oasis, a new “Innovation Oasis” is being tailored for R&D-heavy firms, with labs, housing, and co-working built in.
“You feel things move faster here,” says Dr. Laura Jensen, CEO of a Berlin-based biotech firm expanding into Dubai. “There’s political will, and real delivery. We get access to regulators, talent, and capital in a way that’s hard to match.”
The programme is also turning heads in real estate. With global firms and their teams arriving, demand for high-quality office space, mixed-use districts, and executive housing is set to soar. Key investment hotspots include:
For investors, it’s a rare chance to ride the wave of a government-backed economic transformation — and to bet on the future of global business from the ground up.
