Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) has signed an agreement with professional services firm EY to support the Dubai 10X initiative, one of the Foundation’s initiatives, a media report said.

The collaboration with EY will support government organisations to develop their ideas, to be presented and evaluated by a specialised committee, reported Emirates news agency Wam.

This is part of DFF’s strategic plans to support the Dubai 10X initiative, which aims to propel Dubai into the future, putting it ten years ahead of other global cities.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by Abdulaziz Al Jaziri, deputy CEO and chief of Projects at Dubai Future Foundation, and Wasim Khan, Mena Regional Advisory Services leader at EY.

"We are collaborating with EY to provide consultancy services to support and develop the proposed ideas for the Dubai 10X initiative, launched by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. This supports the directives of His Highness for all government organisations to adopt this initiative, which is the first of its kind in the world,” said Al Jaziri.

"The initiative aims to propel Dubai into the future, putting it ten years ahead of other global cities. This supports the objectives of the UAE Centennial 2071, which aims to make the UAE the best country in the world. This cooperation allows government organisations to take part in the 10X initiative and be evaluated through an initial assessment on their presentations. This will help them develop their ideas and allow them to express their opinions, saving time and effort for all parties involved," he added.

Commenting on the signing, Khan said, "We are thrilled to be supporting the Dubai 10x initiative aimed at leveraging disruptive technologies to enhance the citizen experience and interaction with governments.

“At EY, we truly believe that asking better questions make governments and businesses work better. We look forward to our role in enriching and enhancing the 10x ideas through our digital and innovation ecosystem, and working together with DFF to drive Dubai forward as the city of the future. The impact of the Dubai 10x initiatives on the community and the wellbeing of society are at the heart of our purpose of building a better working world."

EY in collaboration with Dubai 10X will leverage design-thinking methods to help enrich the ideas. As part of the MoU, EY will help enrich ideas over two weeks before they are submitted to the Dubai 10X evaluation committee.