India Global Forum (IGF) has launched a $250 million fund to support high-potential Indian consumer and industrial brands in expanding to global markets, positioning Dubai as the hub for their international growth. Announced at IGF Middle East 2025, IGF Chairman Manoj Ladwa said the initiative marks “a new era of India–UAE collaboration,” noting that Dubai’s connectivity and IGF’s networks will help Indian companies scale across the Middle East, Africa, Europe and beyond. The programme integrates IGF’s business, government and innovation networks with Dubai’s logistics ecosystem through DP World, offering participants tailored market-entry support and curated access to investors, partners and prospective customers.The fund and accelerator will target high-growth Indian companies in sectors such as food and beverage, consumer products, chemicals, automotive, advanced manufacturing and industrial goods.
India’s Ambassador to the UAE, Dr. Deepak Mittal, told the forum that India and the UAE are well placed to navigate an uncertain global environment, citing deep political trust, economic complementarities and people-to-people ties that have strengthened the partnership over the past decade. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2015 visit to the UAE was a turning point that accelerated the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, CEPA and cooperation across technology, education and investment. Dr. Mittal outlined priorities including faster delivery of bilateral initiatives, smoother business engagement and deeper collaboration in semiconductors, AI, quantum technologies, biotechnology, clean energy, shipping, space and MSMEs. He also highlighted opportunities for trilateral projects in Africa and emphasised the need to build “a seamless innovation corridor” between the two nations.
IGF Middle East 2025: NXT Frontiers brought together 90 senior leaders from government, global corporations, venture capital, technology, academia and next-generation enterprises to examine how India’s rapid digital and economic transformation can align with Gulf capital and innovation ecosystems to drive new growth. Speakers highlighted the strengthening technological synergy between India and the UAE. Manoj Ladwa noted IGF’s work with SpaceX and Starlink to expand connectivity in remote parts of Maharashtra, alongside joint initiatives with the UAE’s World Government Summit in genomics, emerging economies and pandemic preparedness. Senior officials from the Dubai Future Foundation outlined Dubai’s decade-long push to institutionalise future-readiness through early strategies in blockchain, autonomous mobility and 3D printing, as well as the creation of the Museum of the Future. Saeed Al Falasi, Executive Director at the Dubai Center for AI, said Dubai’s trust-based digital governance model—supported by AI officers across government and more than 70 pilot projects—shows how public-sector innovation can be scaled. A panel on AI policy emphasised that while AI development is global, its effects are local, underscoring the need for strong domestic risk capital and responsible governance as countries prepare for the next wave of technological change.