Expo 2020 Dubai will have a specialised 3D printing area, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, the Crown Prince of Dubai, said during a meeting of the Executive Council on Sunday. The hub will include a research centre, an academy and laboratories to help develop the technology. Authorities will also set up business accelerators for 3D start-ups to attract investors and entrepreneurs. Sheikh Hamdan first launched the <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/government/crown-prince-of-dubai-launches-mission-to-turn-uae-into-global-3d-printing-centre-1.1045174">3D Printing Strategic Alliance </a>last summer, to provide a platform to bring together interested government organisations, academics and businesses in the UAE and around the world. The Dubai 3D Printing Strategy was first announced in 2016. The initiative aims to position the UAE and Dubai as a leading hub of 3D printing by 2030. By then 25 per cent of all buildings in the emirate will be constructed using the innovative technology. Dubai has already built two 3D buildings. The Office of the Future in Emirates Towers was the world’s first 3D-printed office. It is now fully operational. The second one – the Dubai Municipality centre for innovation – won a Guinness World Record for being the first 3D-printed two-storey building in the world. The Executive Council also approved a new higher education regulatory policy focused on attracting branches of international universities to Dubai.
