The Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Dubai SME), part of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, has launched Founders of Tomorrow, a national programme designed to accelerate the creation of scalable, Emirati-owned businesses.

Developed in partnership with INJAZ UAE, the initiative integrates university entrepreneurship with real economic and institutional needs, creating a direct pipeline from academia to enterprise. The programme connects Emirati university students with live challenges from government, semi-government, and corporate entities, grounding innovation in operational and sector-specific realities.

Aligned with the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, which aims to double the size of Dubai’s economy by 2033, the programme seeks to ensure entrepreneurship is market-driven, outcome-focused, and closely tied to the emirate’s long-term growth priorities.

Ahmad Al Room Almheiri, Acting CEO of Dubai SME, said, “This initiative exemplifies the collaborative spirit between government and private sector that defines Dubai’s approach to economic transformation and further reinforces our commitment to providing sustained government support for entrepreneurs. It also aligns with a key priority of the D33 to nurture a new generation of forward-thinking, resilient Emirati entrepreneurs as part of a globally competitive SME landscape.”

Razan Bashiti, Chief Executive Officer of INJAZ UAE, added, “Founders of Tomorrow embodies our commitment to turning Emirati youth potential into real economic impact. By connecting university innovation with live government and corporate challenges, the programme creates a direct pathway from education to scalable enterprise.”

Through the initiative, Emirati students and early-stage, university-based startups will work in multidisciplinary teams to address priority challenges across key sectors. INJAZ UAE will provide structured mentoring, hands-on guidance, and challenge-based learning, supporting participants through ideation, validation, and solution development.

The most promising concepts will transition into the Dubai SME ecosystem, where founders will receive business incubation, mentorship, funding facilitation, market access support, and access to government procurement opportunities.