Dubai's Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed unveiled Nad Zabeel on Sunday, November 1, in the presence of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai. The new campus, to be built in Zabeel Park, is billed as the emirate's future research, development and innovation hub, designed to turn scientific knowledge into fresh economic opportunities.

Construction is expected to be completed within five years. Once operational, Nad Zabeel aims to draw more than 30,000 scientists, researchers and entrepreneurs each year through a mix of annual programmes and events. The campus is designed to bring universities, technology companies, investors and government bodies together under one roof, making collaboration between these groups easier than before.

The facility will include laboratories, scientific research centres, creative and innovation incubators, leisure amenities, and dedicated event spaces for professional gatherings. Three sectors sit at the centre of its mission: artificial intelligence, advanced technology, and healthcare — all identified by Dubai's leadership as pillars of the emirate's future economy.

Nad Zabeel is positioned as a cornerstone of the Dubai Economic Agenda, known as D33, which targets doubling the size of Dubai's economy by 2033 and keeping the city among the world's top three global business destinations. Officials describe the project as a major step toward attracting international talent and knowledge capital to the emirate.

The announcement came on the same day Dubai revealed separate tourism initiatives, underlining how the government is pursuing several economic fronts simultaneously to sharpen the city's global competitiveness heading into the next decade.