Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has launched the Research, Development and Innovation Strategy 2030 to advance the emirate’s mobility ecosystem through cutting-edge research and innovation, while nurturing world-class competencies capable of shaping the future of the transport sector.
This step aligns with the Dubai Research, Development and Innovation Program, which seeks to establish a comprehensive framework for R&D and innovation activities across the emirate. It also reflects the directives of the wise leadership to position Dubai among the world’s leading cities in terms of future readiness and harnessing scientific research to deliver pioneering and impactful achievements.
The strategy also supports RTA’s strategic transformation journey in its business models, in line with future R&D and innovation priorities, and its vision: “The World Leader in Seamless and Sustainable Mobility.”
Muna Al Osaimi, CEO of Strategy and Corporate Governance Sector at RTA, said:
“The development of the R&D and Innovation Strategy 2030 is consistent with federal and local strategies, as well as RTA’s own strategy, to strengthen future readiness and build capabilities that drive excellence in research and innovation. It aims to raise maturity levels, increase investment in R&D and innovation, and boost the proportion of projects that generate patents.”
“The strategy, which is also aligned with the National Innovation Strategy, is being advanced in partnership with academic institutions and the private sector, particularly start-ups. It also complements the ‘The Emirates: The Startup Capital of the World’ campaign, which seeks to reinforce the UAE’s position as a global hub for entrepreneurship and innovation.”
She added: “The strategy is built on four key pillars: safety, future seamless mobility technologies, sustainability, and operational excellence. It seeks to enhance the safety and resilience of transport infrastructure and traffic management systems, while reducing fatalities, accidents, and congestion through the study of passenger and freight mobility patterns and by promoting integration across diverse modes of transport. It also aims to strengthen demand for multimodal mobility, reduce emissions and the carbon footprint of transport and infrastructure, and enhance the operational efficiency and resilience of RTA’s processes.”
Al Osaimi further noted: “The R&D and Innovation Strategy 2030 is the product of RTA’s investment in regulatory models designed to support partnerships across multiple sectors, expand investment opportunities in R&D and innovation, and support start-ups. It has enabled RTA’s entities to collaborate with stakeholders in R&D and innovation across the Dubai Government, the business community, and academia. Today, RTA’s intellectual property portfolio comprises 137 registrations, including trademarks, copyrights, patents, and industrial designs, alongside 58 proof-of-concept trials conducted in 2024.”
RTA also seeks to foster a supportive regulatory environment for research, development, and innovation by providing the necessary enablers within a governance framework that ensures strategic alignment of activities, accelerates decision-making, enables the responsible allocation of financial resources, and promotes effective oversight and flexibility through sustainable and balanced funding mechanisms.
