Dubai Launches IP-Focused Initiative to Become World-Leading Microbiome R&D Hub with Crescent Enterprises

• Dubai Future Foundation and Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism to collaborate with Crescent Enterprises on IP-Focused, Microbiome Research & Development Platform
• Crescent Enterprises is a Committed Investor in Microbiome Innovation and an Established Convenor of Global Expertise, Advancing Frontier Science towards Real-World Impact

Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), and Crescent Enterprises today announced a Dubai-based microbiome research and development (R&D) initiative, the ‘Global Microbiome Ecosystem’. Launched at The Microbiome Revolution symposium in Dubai, the initiative aims to develop a world-leading, intellectual property (IP)-focused ecosystem for the global longevity and wellness industry. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Dubai are committed to advancing cutting-edge innovation defining the ‘Future of Health’ as a driver of economic growth, quality of life, and global competitiveness.

The ‘Global Microbiome Ecosystem’ is set to be a Dubai-based, globally oriented, IP-focused platform for microbiome-driven health innovation. It will 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 IP.

Khalifa Al Qama, Chief of Research, Development and Innovation at Dubai RDI, an ecosystem under Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), said: “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. 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.”

H.E. Badr Jafar, CEO of Crescent Enterprises, said: “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. Translating breakthrough science into real-world impact requires exactly this kind of alignment – across research, innovation, policy, and investment.”

Building on Crescent Enterprises’ role as a committed investor in microbiome innovation and an established convenor of global expertise, the collaboration will evaluate pathways to advance novel health solutions grounded in microbiome science and precision health, including responsible approaches to clinical adoption and international scaling.

The announcement was made at the opening of The Microbiome Revolution: Unlocking the Gut–Brain Axis for the Future of Health, a high-level symposium hosted by CE-Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of Crescent Enterprises. The symposium brought together more than 150 world-renowned researchers, senior clinicians, entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers to examine how advances in microbiome science – particularly around the gut–brain axis – are reshaping health paradigms, from prevention and mental wellbeing to personalised, precision care.

The symposium opened with a speech from His Excellency Dr Alawi Alsheikh-Ali, Director General of the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), who outlined Dubai’s ambition to build a resilient, future-ready healthcare system of international standing. Leading scientific, clinical, and investment voices participating in the programme included Professor Sarkis Mazmanian (California Institute of Technology), Dr Laurie Keefer (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai), Professor Ted Dinan (University College Cork), Dr Xavier Duportet (Hello Tomorrow), Dr Rasha Msallam (Next Gen of Immunology Consultancy), Dr Simba Gill (Songbird), and Dr Christopher Reyes (Bloom Science). The event highlighted the importance of public–private alignment in advancing next-generation health innovation and reinforced the UAE’s role as a global convening platform for translating breakthrough science into real-world, scalable impact.