History of ICT Fund

The first of its kind in the Arab region, ICT Fund was launched in 2007 by Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) to achieve rapid, progressive and concrete developments within the ICT sector in the UAE, mainly in the fields of intellectual capital, technological leadership, research, innovative ideas, and incubating start-ups.

Who we are

ICT Fund is the funding arm of the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA).

The UAE is home to one of the fastest growing ICT market in the world. At the heart of this progress is the UAE ICT sector, helping to drive this momentum is ICT Fund. The ICT Fund proudly shares the UAE’s commitment to innovation and progress by driving innovative research & development projects within the UAE ICT sector as well as support education and training in the field. It aims to promote the involvement of UAE nationals in the realm of scientific and technology research, create a culture of entrepreneurship in the sector and improve linkage between industry and academia.

With the firm belief that technology is the creative engine of all new opportunities, the ICT Fund offers funding to drive results, introducing innovation with impact to the country.

Building a Knowledge Based Society

ICT Fund strives to spur the creation of a significant ICT industry in the UAE with a leading position in the world. To achieve these aspirations, ICT Fund focuses on three core areas to stimulate growth: education, research & development, and entrepreneurship. In addition, it supports national projects aimed at creating a broader supportive environment for the sector.

ICT Fund supports education through three main programs: guaranteeing educational opportunities through awarding scholarships, strengthening the academic infrastructure for ICT within the universities, and strengthening ICT teaching in schools.

To support research and development, ICT Fund is injecting funds into both basic and applied research and into the infrastructure that supports research.

To support entrepreneurship, ICT Fund’s mandate is to fund promising entrepreneurial ideas and in provide the infrastructure necessary for start-up businesses to succeed. In due course, ICT Fund envisages developing purpose-designed ICT industry incubator centers in the UAE.

By focusing on these core areas, ICT Fund will contribute to the development of the entire ICT value chain. ICT Fund’s work will set in motion a beneficial or an exemplary step that will deliver competitive capabilities independent of any imported resources, in essence, creating a self-reliant industry for the nation. Through this work ICT Fund’s plans to create an industry that will proudly carry the banner ‘Made in the UAE’.

While providing funding is the core activity of ICT Fund, in order to do so, it needs capable and motivated individuals to come forward with their ideas, proposals, or prototypes to apply for the financial resource and support from ICT Fund to further their technological endeavor. To encourage these qualified individuals to come forward, ICT Fund maintains a steady momentum of creating and spreading awareness among UAE nationals through focused and broader outreach in the community.