Our Host this year: Khalifa University
Welcome message from Khalifa University
Higher education is entering an era in which universities are no longer only places of learning, but critical infrastructures that build resilience, scientific capability, and future industries. It is therefore a meaningful moment to gather in Abu Dhabi, which offers real-world context for research, capability-building, and economic transformation that this summit seeks to address.
Khalifa University is pleased to open these important conversations here in Abu Dhabi, as the leading university entrusted with developing capability for future industries in the United Arab Emirates.
The Late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Founding Father of the UAE, stated, “The real asset of any advanced nation is its people, especially the educated ones…” This vision continues to guide the UAE as it develops research ecosystems, builds scientific capacity, and strengthens talent pathways aligned with future industries.
Khalifa University plays a significant role in realizing this national vision. The University entered a new chapter in 2017 when three specialized institutions came together to establish this research university with a mandate to advance science, engineering, and innovation. Today the University ranks 177th globally and remains top in the UAE for eight consecutive years, reflecting sustained investment in education and research as foundations for national capability-building. Looking ahead, the University will continue to graduate originators of new enterprises and contributors to emerging economic sectors.
Hosting this summit in Abu Dhabi carries particular significance as the emirate accelerates initiatives in deep tech, energy transition, autonomous systems, and healthcare, while expanding a broader ecosystem of research, industry collaboration, and knowledge transfer. These developments enable direct engagement with a region that is building science-driven sectors and attracting global expertise.
This makes your engagement essential. I encourage all participants to take an active role in working together on building cooperation that continues beyond this summit. On behalf of Khalifa University and the UAE, I extend a warm welcome and wish you an engaging and productive summit in Abu Dhabi.
His Excellency Professor Ebrahim Al Hajri
President of Khalifa University of Science and Technology
About Khalifa University
Khalifa University is the United Arab Emirates’ leading research university, ranked 177th globally in the QS World University Rankings 2026 and top in the country for eight consecutive years. Established in 2017, the University remains a catalyst for economic development and a center for advanced engineering, science, and innovation.
The University offers programs across engineering, computing, life sciences, and the natural sciences, supported by faculty who are regularly recognized among the world’s most influential researchers and who contribute to major global scientific and technological fields. Its innovation-focused curriculum combines rigorous academic foundations with interdisciplinary research, hands-on projects, and industry partnerships, attracting high-achieving students from more than 70 nationalities.
Graduates of Khalifa University progress into roles that shape emerging industries, with many contributing to national and international organizations, or advancing innovative technologies created within the University’s research ecosystem. A number of alumni have also gone on to establish their own ventures, reflecting the institution’s emphasis on innovation, entrepreneurship, and talent development.
Khalifa University hosts 14 multidisciplinary research centers and more than 200 laboratories that address strategic areas such as autonomous systems, hydrogen, clean energy, robotics, genetics and biotechnology, food security, applied artificial intelligence and advanced materials. Its research output is among the most influential in the region, with more than half of its publications appearing in the top tier of international scientific journals, supported by a growing portfolio of over 800 issued patents as well as deep-tech startups.
Khalifa University remains committed to empowering students as globally aware contributors to science, industry, and society, and to advancing research that supports long-term national priorities.