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The Centre for Global Future Opportunities will translate promising technological, economic and societal opportunities into tangible policies, recommendations, pilot projects, initiatives and real-world outcomes, according to the Dubai Future Foundation. It will develop practical pathways to turn identified opportunities into action, pinpoint factors that enable progress and tackle implementation challenges. The foundation added that the centre will convene multidisciplinary laboratories to develop and test socioeconomic solutions alongside technology companies, academic institutions, international non-governmental organisations and universities.
Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and vice chairman of the Dubai Future Foundation board, attended the signing alongside Alois Zwinggi, president and chief executive officer of the World Economic Forum. Khalfan Belhoul, chief executive officer of the Dubai Future Foundation, signed the agreement with Ida Ing Christensen, director of the Young Global Leaders Forum at the World Economic Forum. The centre will be overseen by the Dubai Future Foundation as the first of its kind globally.
Zwinggi stated that the upcoming Centre for Global Future Opportunities will add a unique dimension to the WEF’s global network of Centres for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. He added that by connecting regional and global expertise it will help identify emerging opportunities and turn promising ideas into practical forward-looking responses to pressing challenges. The launch forms part of a strategic partnership between the UAE government and the World Economic Forum that has run for 18 years and produced more than 900 councils involving around 12000 experts.
The agreement was signed during the Annual Meeting of Global Future Leaders 2026 which convened more than 700 leaders and experts from over 100 countries in Dubai from October 13 to 15. Organisers reported that the gathering focused on emerging transformations in technology economics geopolitics leadership and sustainability while feeding insights into the World Economic Forum’s wider work including its annual Davos meeting. The event operated under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and in collaboration with the Dubai Future Foundation.
UAE officials announced two additional initiatives at the meeting including a $1 million Global Innovation Challenge AI Award developed with Dubai Municipality to reward agentic artificial intelligence solutions that improve urban services and quality of life. The award will draw on input from more than 10000 Global Shapers across 150 countries with winners scheduled for announcement at the 2027 meeting. A third initiative called Future 20 will spotlight 20 emerging leaders under age 30 with potential to influence communities and scale ideas into broad opportunities.
The centre’s mandate to convert opportunities into legislation and executable projects builds directly on discussions at the Global Future Councils which have operated since 2008 across multiple editions. Public records from the partnership show prior councils have addressed topics from artificial intelligence and sustainability to geopolitics with participation from governments businesses and civil society. This latest step extends the framework by moving from analysis to implementation through dedicated labs and cross-sector testing.
