Zayed Education Foundation
The Zayed Education Foundation is a philanthropic initiative established in 2025 to nurture a new generation of purpose-driven leaders across the UAE and the Arab world. The Foundation is grounded in the UAE’s long-standing conviction that education and leadership are inseparable pillars of societal progress. Inspired by the values and legacy of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Foundation was created to redefine leadership through a regional lens that blends heritage with innovation, and character with capability. Through programmes spanning scholarships, education, leadership development, research, and collaboration, it seeks to empower more than 100,000 young people by 2035 to lead with integrity, empathy, and purpose, fostering a community of future changemakers equipped to address regional and global challenges and deliver lasting social impact.
- Organisation type Foundation
- Year founded 2025
- Headquartered Abu Dhabi
- Registration United Arab Emirates
- Website https://www.zayededucationfoundation.org/en
Related sustainable development goals
Focus areas
Focus sectors
Education
- Higher education
- Scholarships
Science
- Research and Innovation
Focus populations
Academics
- Students
- Researchers
Focus geographies
Middle East
- United Arab Emirates
South Asia
- India
Partners
- Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism
- Abu Dhabi University
- American University of Sharjah
- EDGE
- Indian Institute of Technology Delhi-Abu Dhabi
- Khalifa University
- Masdar
- Mohammed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence
- NYU Abu Dhabi
- Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi
- United Arab Emirates University
- University of Sharjah
- Zayed University
Programmes
Innovation
The foundation aims to strengthen the UAE’s research ecosystem by attracting leading global scholars through endowed research chairs focused on priority sectors at national universities, while also supporting graduate and postgraduate researchers through a specialist fellows’ programme targeting critical regional and global challenges. Alongside this, it plans to fund researchers, innovators, and SMEs engaged in long-term research, product development, and intellectual property creation, complemented by ecosystem support such as market access, relocation assistance, and strategic partnerships.
Leadership Programme
The UAE-India Leaders Programme enables exceptional Emirati professionals and postgraduate students to engage deeply with India’s political, economic, scientific, and cultural landscape. The programme seeks to build insight and relationships that will strengthen UAE-India ties in key priority sectors.
Scholarship Programmes
The foundation provides three types of financial assistance:
- Ruwwad Zayed: For exceptional young Emiratis and Arabs who are committed to service and prepared to lead with purpose
- Miracle of Saadiyat: Sponsors Emirati MA and PhD students to pursue studies in two priority sectors for the UAE - agriculture and food security - at the University of Arizona
- Gaza Medical Students: Supports Palestinian medical students, providing them with fully-accredited internships at regional universities
Operations
Key staff
- Annina Mattsson, Special Projects Consultant
Board members
- Sheikha Mariam bint Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan , Chair