A new national programme that embeds university entrepreneurship into real economic and institutional needs has been launched by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Dubai SME) in partnership with INJAZ UAE.
Called ‘Founders of Tomorrow’, the programme aims at establishing a direct pipeline from academia to enterprise and accelerating the creation of scalable Emirati-owned businesses.
The initiative bridges the gap between academia and enterprise, connecting talented Emirati university students with pressing real-world challenges from government, semi-government, and corporate entities.
By grounding innovation in operational and sector-specific realities, Founders of Tomorrow ensures that entrepreneurship is market-driven, outcome-focused and aligned with Dubai’s economic priorities under the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33), which aims to double the size of the city’s economy by 2033, according to a press statement.
“This initiative exemplifies the collaborative spirit between government and private sector that defines Dubai’s approach to economic transformation and further reinforces our commitment to providing sustained government support for entrepreneurs. It also aligns with a key priority of the D33 to nurture a new generation of forward-thinking, resilient Emirati entrepreneurs as part of a globally competitive SME landscape,” said Ahmad Al Room Almheiri, Acting CEO of the Dubai SME, which is part of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET).
Razan Bashiti, Chief Executive Officer of INJAZ UAE, said, “Founders of Tomorrow embodies our commitment to turning Emirati youth potential into real economic impact. By connecting university innovation with live government and corporate challenges, the programme creates a direct pathway from education to scalable enterprise.”
Through Founders of Tomorrow, Emirati students and early-stage university-based start-ups will work in multidisciplinary teams to address priority challenges across key sectors, in collaboration with participating government, semi‑government and corporate entities.
INJAZ UAE will deliver structured, hands-on guidance, mentoring and challenge-based learning, supporting students throughout the ideation, validation and solution development stages.
The most promising concepts will progress into the Dubai SME ecosystem, where they will receive comprehensive support to scale into viable, competitive businesses.
Under the initiative, qualifying participants will gain access to Dubai SME’s integrated suite of services designed to support entrepreneurs at every stage of their business journey. This includes business incubation, mentorship and capacity-building, facilitation of funding opportunities, market access support, and enablement of government procurement opportunities.
These services empower entrepreneurs to achieve sustainable growth, enhance competitiveness and contribute toward the success of Emirati enterprises within Dubai’s SME ecosystem, as part of Dubai’s long-term economic diversification programme.
Founders of Tomorrow is supported by leading national entities that will contribute real operational challenges, sector expertise, and mentorship resources.
