Abu Dhabi Investment Office (Adio) forged separate partnerships with work consultancies ANSR and Talent500 as part of its Dh2 billion ($545 million) Innovation Programme to boost high-growth areas of the economy and shape the future of work. Under the agreement, Adio will provide the companies with incentives to support their growth in Abu Dhabi, it said in a statement on Wednesday. ANSR and Talent500 will set up regional headquarters and innovation centres in Abu Dhabi aimed at developing technological solutions to support global workforce transformation. They will help establish engineering and R&D centres for some of the world’s leading businesses and start-ups, a move that will attract more global talent to Abu Dhabi, Adio said. ANSR is expected to invest more than $100m over the next five years, creating hundreds of jobs in emerging technology, including artificial intelligence, data analytics, product engineering and cloud. "With talent and teams increasingly mobile and global, organisations need new technologies and solutions to maintain a successful workforce," said Abdulla Al Shamsi, acting director general of Adio. "Being home to 200 nationalities and a dynamic innovation ecosystem, Abu Dhabi understands that the future of work is being rapidly reshaped and is equipped to enable workforce transformation." As competition for talent heats up worldwide and distributed teams become the norm in preparation for a post-pandemic world, companies are seeking new ways to build and manage a global workforce, while setting up hubs in talent-rich locations. Abu Dhabi has shaped its regulations and business environment to become an attractive destination for skilled professionals and multinational companies. Adio, the government body responsible for attracting and promoting investment in Abu Dhabi, is opening up opportunities in the emirate through its Innovation Programme, launched in 2020. Companies in the programme, a part of Abu Dhabi’s Dh50bn Ghadan 21 project, operate in high-growth, tech-focused industries. It will support ANSR in setting up its Europe, Middle East and Africa headquarters, while establishing The Global Technology Hub, a destination for enterprises to attract leading talent and set up technology teams across AI, mobile, product and design. The programme will also help Talent500, an AI-driven technology platform which helps companies hire a global workforce, set up its regional headquarters in Abu Dhabi with a R&D and technology team. In addition, Talent500 will also expand its network to include professionals in the UAE and the GCC. ANSR and Talent500 will also team up with local academic institutions, such as the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, and international universities to develop training, upskilling and internship programmes in AI, data and product engineering.
