In a strategic move to position the emirate as a global leader in life sciences, the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) and the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) have announced a collaboration with Crescent Enterprises to launch the ‘Global Microbiome Ecosystem’. The IP-focused initiative aims to establish a world-leading research and development hub dedicated to the global longevity and wellness industry.
The announcement was made at The Microbiome Revolution symposium in Dubai, signaling a strong commitment from the UAE to advance cutting-edge innovation and define the ‘Future of Health’ as a key driver for economic growth and global competitiveness.
A Strategic Push For Innovation
The ‘Global Microbiome Ecosystem’ is designed as a globally-oriented platform that integrates advanced R&D, innovators, and industry leaders. The core focus will be on accelerating knowledge creation, developing local talent, and generating high-value intellectual property in priority areas of microbiome science.
Khalifa Al Qama, Chief of Research, Development and Innovation at Dubai RDI, an ecosystem under the Dubai Future Foundation, stated, “Dubai’s innovation and regulatory sandbox frameworks position the city as a natural home for the global microbiome sector, enabling a connected ecosystem that brings together research institutions, innovators, investors, policymakers, and global partners.”
He added, “By focusing on microbiome-driven health and longevity, this collaboration can accelerate translational research, create globally relevant intellectual property, and reinforce Dubai’s role as a leading hub where frontier science is translated into real-world health impact.”
A Microbiome Moonshot Moment
Building on its role as a key investor in microbiome innovation, Crescent Enterprises will help evaluate pathways to advance novel health solutions grounded in precision health and responsible clinical adoption.
H.E. Badr Jafar, CEO of Crescent Enterprises, remarked, “We are at a microbiome ‘moonshot’ moment – a point where science, technology, and collaboration can converge and where choices we make now will shape outcomes for decades to come. Dubai and the UAE are a natural base for this as a leading global hub not just for trade and capital, but for ideas, talent, and science.”
Jafar emphasized the need for alignment across various sectors, stating, “Translating breakthrough science into real-world impact requires exactly this kind of alignment – across research, innovation, policy, and investment.”
Convening Global Expertise
The initiative was unveiled at a high-level symposium hosted by CE-Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of Crescent Enterprises. The event gathered over 150 world-renowned researchers, clinicians, entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers to explore how advances in microbiome science, particularly the gut–brain axis, are reshaping health paradigms from mental wellbeing to personalised care.
The symposium featured prominent voices such as Professor Sarkis Mazmanian from the California Institute of Technology and Dr Laurie Keefer from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, highlighting the importance of public-private alignment in translating breakthrough science into scalable, real-world impact.
About The Global Microbiome Ecosystem
The ‘Global Microbiome Ecosystem’ is a Dubai-based, IP-focused platform for microbiome-driven health innovation. It aims to integrate cutting-edge R&D, future-shaping innovators, and responsible sector leaders to focus on priority areas, accelerate knowledge creation with talent development, and generate high-value, future-shaping intellectual property for the global longevity and wellness industry.
Source: Zawya
