It is a set of steps necessary to apply for Certifying Business Incubators and Accelerators in Dubai, where the activity of “accreditation of business accelerators and business incubators provides the opportunity to expand investments in the sector of entrepreneur platforms in all its sectors, which include: Business incubators, accelerators and co-working spaces. This activity aims to provide support, guidance and follow-up to small and medium enterprises, organize the work of business incubators and accelerators in Dubai, as well as provide the ideal environment for owners of creative emerging projects to conduct their business.

Main Procedural Service

• Providing an integrated feasibility study for the business incubator, including the type of incubator, objectives, services provided, packages, work team, partners... etc.
• Incubator operating plan.
• Copy of the applicant's passport, trade license or decree establishing the entity.
• Copy of the incubator's location scheme with a rented site area of at least 1,500 square feet
• A notarized and certified lease contract for the rental space that has been allocated for the establishment of the incubator center (to be able to issue lease contracts and trade licenses for companies registered in the incubator, even if the signatories are affiliated with the same entity wishing to establish the incubator).

1. The applicant submits a service request through the Hamdan Center for Creativity and Innovation, and fills out a registration application to approve business accelerators and incubators (for new applications).
2. Initial meeting with the applicant; to get acquainted with the details and information of the business incubator (for new applications).
3. Provide the applicant with the incubator’s work plan, and submit the required documents via e-mail to the Hamdan Center (for new applications and renewals).
4. Communicate with the applicant on an ongoing basis during the period of preparing the incubator (for new requests).
5. Implementation of field visits to the incubator by the center's employees (for new applications and renewal).
6. The center sends a memorandum of understanding; to be approved by the applicant (for new applications).
7. The applicant pays the activity fees through the following payment channels (cash payment at the center or bank deposit in the center’s account, issuance of a check in the name of Hamdan Center for Creativity and Innovation) - (for new applications and renewals).
8. The applicant receives the letter “Approval of the request to establish a business incubator or renew an incubator -” for the trade registration and licensing sector.
9. The applicant receives the letter “Granting the validity of registration or renewal in the Ejari system for licensed business incubators” from the Real Estate Regulatory Agency - Dubai Land Department.
10. Refer to external service centers (outsourcing); to complete the registration and licensing procedures. 
11. Review of the Real Estate Regulatory Agency - Dubai Land Department -; to complete the registration procedures in the Ejari system.

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Eligible entities to obtain a business incubator license:

• Governmental institutions wishing to establish incubation centers for projects
• Educational institutions including national and local universities and institutes.
• Businessmen or individuals who are citizens of the United Arab Emirates.
• Businessmen / investors residing in the country, in accordance with the terms of the Department of Economic Development with regard to licensing.

Apply through the link

9 working days

30 Minutes

Five thousand dirhams, activity fee, annually for the institution in addition to the license issuance fee

Departments and institutions from the public and private sectors.
Educational Institutions

Foundation e-mail: 24/7

What is meant by business incubators?
They are institutions that work to support initiators of new entrepreneurs who have ambitious ideas, a sound economic study of the project, and some of the resources necessary to achieve their ambitions, so that a suitable work environment is provided for them during the first years of establishing the project and increasing the chance of its success by completing the technical and administrative aspects at a nominal cost, which helps and motivates the project owner to focus on the essence of work and develop the project properly.

What are the classifications and types of incubators?
Industrial Incubator                           
Business Incubator                                 
Tech Incubator
Design Incubator                                   
Kitchen Incubator                                    

What are the forms of business incubators?
Non-Profit Incubator
Private Incubator/ profit incubator                                     
Academic Incubator                       
Shared incubators (Between the public and the private sector)

What services are provided by different incubators?
Providing technical advice on economic feasibility studies, market studies, depending on production and estimated market size, and studies on employment, providing raw materials for starting production.
Effective contribution to the development of the detailed action line, and through this stage, consultations are provided that will develop an integrated plan in the financial, technical, advisory, legal and other fields.
Incubator provides advice in financial areas such as the placement of discretionary budgets and financing requirements for starting production, provision of financial liquidity, dates of need for investment amounts, development of balance sheets, regulation of loans, methods of repayment, etc., with respect to financial aspects
Incubators work in a major manner to develop distinct relationships with local and global institutions related to management development, technology transfer to local and global universities, research and development centers, industrial cities and communities, municipalities, chambers of commerce and industry, banks, insurance companies, and other institutions that can benefit from their resources and information available to them in the process of building successful projects.
Incubators usually carry out intensive training courses for the incubated institutions on some issues related to the success of the project

What are the eligible entities for obtaining a business incubator license?
Governmental institutions wishing to establish incubation centers for projects
Educational institutions including national and local universities and institutes.
 Businessmen or individuals who are citizens of the United Arab Emirates.
 Businessmen / investors residing in the country, in accordance with the terms of the Department of Economic Development with regard to licensing.
Residents are not subject to the conditions of exemption from the license granted for the activity.

What are the conditions for obtaining a business incubator license?
Fill out an application for obtaining the approval of the business incubator license for the institution
Providing an integrated feasibility study for the business incubator, including the type of incubator, objectives, services provided, packages, work team, partners... etc.
Incubator operating plan.
Copy of the applicant's passport, trade license or decree establishing the entity.
Copy of the incubator's location scheme with a rented site area of at least 1,500 square feet
A notarized and certified lease contract for the rental space that has been allocated for the establishment of the incubator center (to be able to issue lease contracts and trade licenses for companies registered in the incubator, even if the signatories are affiliated with the same entity wishing to establish the incubator).

What are the obligations of the business incubator to abide by?
The applicant for the incubator shall be obliged to submit a periodic report on the functioning of the incubator, including an administrative and financial disclosure of the performance of the incubator.
The applicant for the license is obliged to submit the investment financial report if it is found in the incubated companies or is financed by other entities and is provided with an incubation service in addition to the companies that have been incubated for the second phase of the financing or investment.
 The applicant is obliged to use the logo of Dubai SME as a form of cooperation between the parties in all of the Center's advertising and advertising materials, and to use the phrase supported by the Hamdan Innovation and Innovation Center.