Abu Dhabi's investment company, Mubadala, has announced a joint £1 Billion investment in the UK life science sector. The company will invest £800 Million while the UK will cover the rest £200 Million as a part of the UAE-UK Sovereign Investment Partnership (SIP).
The partnership will deepen the existing UAE-UK trade and investments equivalent to over £32 Billion, serving as a coordinated investment framework focusing on the relationship between the two nations by economic growth.
Abu Dhabi's £800 Million investment will deploy alongside the UK's Life Sciences Investment Programme over a five-year period. SIP will invest in several technologies and innovation-led sectors that will support job creations in both nations, strengthen research and developments, and explore opportunities for investment collaborations.
Mubadala's action in taking part in the UK's life science sector is an approach to fulfill the UAE Vision 2021 and the Energy Strategy 2050, which seeks to make the UAE the provider of world-class technology, sustainability, and livelihood.
The agenda includes over 30 national initiatives that promote advanced technologies in healthcare services by stimulating the growth of biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries through investment in international research partnerships.
Aligning Through Visions
The decision to choose the UK's life science sector as the investment destination is not surprising, considering the industry's significant role in the national economy with over £8.1 Billion in annual turnover and a quarter of a million employment contribution. Mubadala has also partnered with the Imperial College of London to create healthcare facilities focusing on acute diabetes.
Furthermore, Mubadala is already one of the earliest and largest UK clean energy infrastructure investors, becoming the backbone of the most advanced energy systems globally; the UK is at the forefront of the transition to decarbonize power generation. The UAE and UK are widely known to align with global priorities such as healthcare innovation, climate change, and sustainable growth.
Abu Dhabi must determine how it will leverage the technology transfer and expanding researches that flow from the UAE-UK SIP to catalyze the nation's life sciences innovations and Research and Developments ecosystem.
Both countries could benefit from potentially robust developments in mutual areas of interest such as manufacturing, cellular agriculture, agrotechnology, semiconductors, renewable energy, biotechnology, and health technology.
Long-Term Commitment
The investment in the life science sector is the start of UAE and the UK's long-term collaborations. The UK Office for Investment (OFI) and Mubadala are on the verge of finalizing upcoming deals in energy transition, infrastructure, and technology. As the Gulf moves ambitiously towards a green energy future, The UK will help the region achieve zero carbon emission vision.
Similarly, Abu Dhabi-owned energy firm, Masdar, has also made multi-million-pound investments in three offshore wind farms and the electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the UK. Masdar City is the leading investment, research and development, and commercialization of renewables in the UAE.
Home to unicorns and sustainable startups, Abu Dhabi is becoming the powerhouse of state-of-the-art research and innovations through resilient fundings and a stern mission in making a future without carbon emission.
