Home > About us > Minister's Message
Minister's Message
Welcome to the website of the newly created National Research Foundation (NRF).
NRF represents an important commitment by the government of UAE to increase and
enhance the research and innovation activities in the country.
NRF will play a key leadership role in fostering innovation and research activity
that will lead to the economic and social development of UAE. NRF will be guided
by the pursuit of excellence in research activity and will emphasize outcomes
over process, in supporting research in the country's universities and colleges.
For UAE to continue to prosper and diversify its economy it must build a research
capacity that has the potential to unleash innovation and entrepreneurship. NRF
will therefore play a key role in ensuring that UAE has an innovation system
that responds quickly and appropriately to changing priorities and opportunities
as they emerge.
NRF is a unique organization in UAE. Via the Minister, it will provide advice to
the government on research matters and policy. It will support basic research in
a range of science and engineering disciplines, and it will support research in
the humanities and social sciences. It will also support applied, strategic and
mission oriented research, particularly where it involves cross-discipline
approaches to solving real world problems. Research into entrepreneurship and
innovation will also be supported. In addition, NRF will encourage the building
of linkages between business enterprises and universities and colleges.
In practical terms this means that NRF will invest in hundreds of research
projects involving individuals and teams, in many instances working with
international collaborators. To emphasize its focused and flexible approach NRF
will develop a range of funding schemes to suit the research needs of the
country. The outcomes from these research projects will lead to direct benefits
across many areas of UAE.
I wish NRF and the researchers it will support every success as they advance UAE
and its citizens through innovation and research activities.
His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan
Minister of Higher Education & Scientific Research