Looking for 3D Printed and Industry 4.0 Solutions: Third Cycle of Dubai Future Accelerators Officially Launched

About a year ago, the biggest accelerator initiative in the world was launched in an area seeking to become the 3D printing capital of the world – the Dubai Future Accelerators program. The program is run by the Dubai Future Foundation, which is of course housed in the city-state’s 3D printed Office of the Future, the first major initiative of Dubai’s multi-tiered 3D Printing Strategy. The Dubai Future Accelerators program, which brings together companies, entrepreneurs, and government agencies from multiple sectors to develop solutions to 21st century challenges, officially launched in mid-September, right before Dubai announced its plans to 3D print a residential building.

The first program cycle concluded with a 64% success rate, and the program began accepting submissions for the second cycle in January. Judging by the inexpensive, eco-friendly Geocement 3D printing material that was developed by one of the second cycle’s participating companies, I’d say round two was also quite the success. The program is more than a platform to create solutions and opportunities for issues before they have a chance to become problems – it’s a path to meet the current challenges our society is facing in areas like energy, health, infrastructure, and transportation. Over 4,000 applications from companies around the world were received over the first two cycles, and out of the 65 companies that were accepted, 48 signed on with a government partner to continue work on innovative pilot projects.

The Dubai Future Foundation is now accepting applications for the third cycle of its flagship program, which will officially launch on October 1st and focus on building partnerships, as well as developing environments that are regulatory-friendly which support technology startups that have the potential to improve the world.

“Over the past year, we have enjoyed remarkable success in terms of the enthusiasm of participating government entities and the number of partnerships signed with pioneering companies,” said Khalfan Belhoul, the CEO of Dubai Future Accelerators. “This year, we will see new partners come on board to collaborate with global innovators to create advanced working models and future solutions. This will consolidate the UAE’s – and Dubai’s – position as a leading test bed of government support for technologies that tackle the biggest challenges of our time.”

This cycle will focus on developing solutions for, among others, education, energy, healthcare, travel, and water, and will integrate technologies inspired by the 4th Industrial Revolution, like genetics, 3D printing, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, robotics, and blockchain. The government will offer regulatory support in order to help get pilot projects off the ground in the city-state.

As before, the Dubai Municipality is challenging participants to implement 3D printing technology in 25% of Dubai’s buildings by 2030, and in order to accelerate new aviation opportunities, the Emirates airline is joining the program. The airline is the largest operator of Boeing 777s and Airbus A380s in the industry. Its hope for the third cycle is to use autonomous robotics and personalization to transform the airline into a more responsive and sustainable global travel platform. It has three challenges for the Dubai Future Accelerators program:

• Invent a new fleet of autonomous vehicles, using 100% solar or electric energy, tailored to the needs of airport airside operations
• Invent a solution to transform training and learning for the airline’s cabin crew
• Invent a solution to integrate the needs of its passengers across the whole experience chain

In addition, the program will also be launching a new humanitarian accelerator, together with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Global Initiatives foundation. The new accelerator has a goal to increase the positive impact with the humanitarian sector of the UAE with technology startups. This is a first for the region, and will focus on educating refugee children, increasing Arabic literacy, creating job opportunities for refugees, and also testing out new solutions for water sanitation in underprivileged countries.

The application deadline for the third cycle of the Dubai Future Accelerators program is July 31st, and companies that make the short list will be invited to a Skype interview. The participants will be selected on August 30, and the program will run from October 1st through November 29th. As before, the program is structured into a total of eight stages, such as development, feedback, and agreement drafting, and a series of workshops, cultural activities, and one-on-one office time with mentors will also be held for participants. Discuss in the Dubai Future Accelererators forum at 3DPB.com.