Updated: 27 October 2026
On 12 October, Abu Dhabi’s Department of Economic Development (ADDED) put a number on its four economic clusters: AED 235 billion of investment, 130,000 skilled jobs and more than AED 284 billion added to GDP by 2045.
Those are long-term targets, not a fund you can apply to. Nobody is handing out cluster money to whoever turns up first. What the numbers do tell you is where Abu Dhabi’s regulators, investment office and partners are pointing their effort. If your business fits one of the four, you’ll find doors opening faster than they would elsewhere. If it doesn’t, the clusters matter less than the headline suggests.
The timing helps too. New economic licences in Abu Dhabi rose 21% in the first quarter of 2026, the same announcement said. This guide covers what each cluster is, where companies in each one usually set up, which regulator you’ll answer to, and the practical steps.
The four clusters at a glance
| Cluster | Full name | Launched | What it covers | Targets by 2045 (at launch) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAVI | Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industries | October 2023 | Autonomous and smart vehicles on land, sea and air: robotaxis, air taxis, drones, unmanned vessels and their supply chain | AED 44bn GDP, 40,000 jobs |
| AGWA | AgriFood Growth and Water Abundance | June 2024 | Novel foods, alternative proteins, controlled-environment farming, water technology | AED 90bn GDP, 60,000+ jobs, AED 128bn investment |
| HELM | Health, Endurance, Longevity and Medicine | April 2025 | Life sciences, AI-enabled biotech, diagnostics, pharma manufacturing, precision medicine, longevity | AED 94bn GDP, about 30,000 jobs, AED 42bn investment |
| FIDA | FinTech, Insurance, Digital and Alternative Assets | December 2025 | Fintech, digital asset infrastructure, insurance, alternative assets, SME finance, long-term savings | AED 56bn GDP, 8,000 jobs, AED 17bn investment |
All four are led by ADDED and the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO).
If you’ve seen different totals in other articles, here’s why. Before FIDA existed, the official figure for SAVI, AGWA and HELM together was AED 228 billion of GDP, more than 120,000 jobs and over AED 200 billion of investment. Add FIDA’s numbers and you get roughly the 12 October totals of AED 284 billion and 130,000 jobs. Same plan, one more cluster.
None of the clusters is new this month. What’s new is the combined target, and a clear signal that Abu Dhabi is still pushing all four.
SAVI: autonomous vehicles, drones and air taxis
SAVI is the oldest cluster and the one with the most visible activity. Early members named when it launched included Joby Aviation (air taxis), WeRide (self-driving road vehicles) and Marakeb Technologies (unmanned boats). Archer Aviation later signed an agreement with ADIO and the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) to start air taxi operations.
Abu Dhabi set up test zones for each kind of vehicle: Yas Island for road, Nibras Aerospace Park in Al Ain for air and Mussafah Port for sea. In October, ADDED named the partners working on SAVI, including the GCAA, the Integrated Transport Centre, Abu Dhabi Maritime, Tawazun Industrial Park, Miral and AD Ports Group’s digital cluster.
Where to set up depends on what you do:
- Software, R&D and testing companies usually look at Masdar City, where SAVI is based. Our Masdar City Free Zone page covers the setup.
- Assembly or manufacturing needs an industrial licence, for example in Tawazun or KEZAD, with approval from the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT).
The trade licence is the easy part. Anything that flies needs the GCAA. Road testing needs Integrated Transport Centre permits. Vessels need Abu Dhabi Maritime. Those approvals sit outside your licence and take longer.
SAVI suits companies in autonomy software, drones, air taxis, sensors, fleet management, charging and maintenance. If you’re building robots rather than vehicles, our guide to starting a robotics company in the UAE is a better fit.
AGWA: food tech, agritech and water tech
AGWA was approved in June 2024. It aims to make Abu Dhabi a hub for novel foods and ingredients, including alternative proteins and cultivated meat, and for water technologies such as desalination, purification and recycling. It ties into the UAE’s food and water security strategies, which explains the government’s interest.
The research side is strong. Partners named include the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), Khalifa University, UAE University, ADIA Lab and Hub71. On the regulatory side, ADIO, the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) and the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council (ADQCC) have said they’ll work together to speed up approvals. For a novel food company, that matters more than any incentive.
Where to set up:
- Food processing, fermentation and production plants usually need an industrial licence, either in KEZAD or through ADDED, plus MoIAT approval. We cover that process in our guide to setting up a manufacturing company in Abu Dhabi.
- R&D and technology companies can sit in Masdar City or join Hub71.
- Vertical farms and controlled-environment farming often end up on the mainland, with municipal approvals.
One recent change helps here. Since September 2026, new industrial licences in Abu Dhabi (called Rowad) are valid for three years before construction starts, up from two. Projects already under construction get four years to reach production. If you’re building a plant, that’s an extra year of breathing room.
HELM: life sciences, medtech and longevity
HELM was launched in April 2025 by ADDED, ADIO and the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH). It covers research, development, manufacturing and commercialisation of health and life sciences technology: AI diagnostics, pharmaceutical production, gene therapies, precision medicine and longevity.
The partners include MBZUAI, M42 and Hub71. DoH, ADIO and Masdar City also signed an agreement to build health and life sciences laboratories under HELM.
Where to set up:
- Health AI, research and lab-based companies often look at Masdar City.
- Anything that sees patients, such as a clinic, diagnostic lab or longevity centre, needs DoH licensing for the facility and its professionals. In practice that means the mainland.
- Pharma or medical device manufacturing needs an industrial licence plus federal product approvals.
Abu Dhabi isn’t the only option for healthcare founders. Dubai’s healthcare sector grew 14.3% in the first half of 2026, the fastest of any sector there, according to Gulf News. The difference is what each emirate offers. Dubai has patient demand. HELM’s pull is support for research and manufacturing. If you’re running a clinic, compare both. If you’re building a diagnostic platform or a drug, HELM is the one built for you.
FIDA: fintech, insurance and digital assets
FIDA is the youngest cluster, approved in December 2025 and announced at Abu Dhabi Finance Week. Its plans cover:
- digital asset infrastructure and fintech platforms
- green and transition finance
- funding for SMEs through alternative lending, venture debt and growth capital (SMEs make up 42% of Abu Dhabi’s non-oil GDP)
- private equity, venture capital and real estate investment vehicles
- insurance and reinsurance
- long-term savings and retirement products
The regulators named for FIDA are the Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank of the UAE, ADGM and the Securities and Commodities Authority. Partners include the Khalifa Fund, Abu Dhabi Pension Fund, Al Etihad Payments, Etihad Credit Insurance, Etihad Credit Bureau and Hub71. FIDA is also meant to finance companies in the other three clusters, which makes it a useful link if you’re raising money for a SAVI or HELM business.
For a finance business, the regulator decides where you set up, not the other way round:
- Regulated financial services and digital asset businesses usually set up in ADGM, licensed by its Financial Services Regulatory Authority.
- Onshore banking, payments and insurance fall under the Central Bank.
- Early-stage fintech startups often come in through Hub71.
The momentum is real. In October alone, global financial firms with more than $5 trillion in assets announced plans to set up in ADGM, and private equity firm Advent opened an office there. ADGM’s assets under management rose 54% in the first half of 2026.
A caution: regulated finance licences take time and come with capital and staffing requirements that vary by activity. Don’t plan your launch date around anyone’s estimate until the regulator has seen your application.
How ADIO support works
ADIO runs the clusters day to day. It offers financial and non-financial incentives to companies in priority sectors, along with help dealing with regulators and introductions to partners.
There’s no published package. Incentives are agreed company by company, based on what you’ll bring to Abu Dhabi: investment, jobs, technology and how much you’ll actually build or employ locally. Expect ADIO to ask about all of that.
So before you approach them, have a clear plan: your activity, headcount, capital spending, timeline and what will happen in Abu Dhabi rather than elsewhere. A company that shows up with “we’d like to explore the UAE” gets a different conversation from one that shows up with a 24-month hiring plan.
Tax, visas and the setup steps
On tax, Corporate Tax is 9% on taxable income above AED 375,000. Companies in ADGM, Masdar City or KEZAD can pay 0% on qualifying income if they meet the Qualifying Free Zone Person conditions: real substance in the zone, audited accounts, and non-qualifying income within the de minimis limits. Manufacturing and processing are qualifying activities. Financial services have their own rules, so FIDA businesses should check their position carefully rather than assume 0%.
Small Business Relief is available to companies with revenue of AED 3 million or less, for tax periods ending by 31 December 2029. It isn’t available to Qualifying Free Zone Persons. Our Corporate Tax page covers the basics.
Visas come through your licence, and founders and specialists may qualify for the Golden Visa.
Small service companies around the clusters have one more option. Tajer Abu Dhabi licence holders now get an extra year to operate without an office, which cuts one of the biggest early costs. Our Abu Dhabi trade licence guide explains how Tajer works.
The steps, in order:
- Match your activity to a cluster, or confirm it doesn’t fit one.
- Find out which regulator governs your activity, then choose the zone or mainland route that fits.
- Approach ADIO if you want incentives or introductions.
- Reserve your trade name, submit documents and get initial approval.
- Apply for sector approvals: GCAA, Integrated Transport Centre, ADAFSA, DoH, ADGM’s regulator or MoIAT, as relevant.
- Secure your office, lab or plot and receive the licence.
- Apply for visas and open a bank account.
- Register for Corporate Tax within three months, and for VAT when you reach the threshold.
Common mistakes
- Treating the AED 235 billion as money you can apply for. It’s a target to 2045.
- Choosing a zone before checking which regulator governs your activity. In finance and healthcare, the regulator decides.
- Assuming a Dubai licence gives you access to Abu Dhabi cluster programmes. It usually doesn’t. You’ll need an Abu Dhabi entity or branch.
- Signing a lease before your sector approvals are confirmed.
- Assuming free zone status means 0% tax on everything.
How A&A Associate can help
We set up companies in Masdar City, KEZAD, ADGM and on the Abu Dhabi mainland. We handle industrial licences and MoIAT applications, and open Abu Dhabi branches for companies already licensed elsewhere in the UAE. We also help you prepare the company plan you’ll take to ADIO, and handle visas, Golden Visa applications, bank accounts, Corporate Tax, VAT and audit.
Tell us what you’re building. We’ll tell you which cluster it fits, which zone makes sense and which regulator you’ll be dealing with. For the wider picture, see our guide to business setup in Abu Dhabi and why Abu Dhabi is drawing new businesses in 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What are Abu Dhabi’s four economic clusters?
They are SAVI (smart and autonomous vehicles), AGWA (food, agriculture and water technology), HELM (health, life sciences and longevity) and FIDA (fintech, insurance, digital and alternative assets). All four are led by ADDED and the Abu Dhabi Investment Office.
How much investment is Abu Dhabi targeting through its clusters?
In October 2026, ADDED said it aims to attract AED 235 billion of investment across the four clusters by 2045. The clusters are projected to create 130,000 skilled jobs and add more than AED 284 billion to GDP.
What is the SAVI cluster?
SAVI is Abu Dhabi’s Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industries cluster, launched in October 2023. It covers self-driving vehicles, air taxis, drones and unmanned vessels, with test zones on Yas Island, in Al Ain and at Mussafah Port. It is based in Masdar City.
What is the AGWA cluster?
AGWA is the AgriFood Growth and Water Abundance cluster, approved in June 2024. It focuses on novel foods, alternative proteins and water technology, and is projected to add AED 90 billion to GDP by 2045.
What is the HELM cluster?
HELM is the Health, Endurance, Longevity and Medicine cluster, launched in April 2025 with the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. It covers life sciences, AI diagnostics, pharmaceutical production and precision medicine.
What is the FIDA cluster?
FIDA is the FinTech, Insurance, Digital and Alternative Assets cluster, approved in December 2025. It covers digital asset infrastructure, fintech, insurance, SME finance and alternative assets, with ADGM, the Central Bank, the Ministry of Finance and the Securities and Commodities Authority as regulators.
Does joining a cluster come with incentives?
ADIO offers financial and non-financial incentives to companies in priority sectors, but there’s no fixed published package. Incentives are agreed case by case, based on the investment, jobs and technology a company brings to Abu Dhabi.
Where should a fintech or digital asset company set up in Abu Dhabi?
Most regulated financial services and digital asset businesses set up in ADGM, licensed by its Financial Services Regulatory Authority. Onshore banking, payments and insurance fall under the Central Bank of the UAE, and early-stage startups often join through Hub71.
Can a Dubai company take part in Abu Dhabi’s clusters?
A Dubai licence alone usually isn’t enough to access Abu Dhabi programmes. Most companies open an Abu Dhabi entity or branch, depending on the activity and the regulator involved.
Do cluster companies pay Corporate Tax?
Yes, at 9% on taxable income above AED 375,000. Free zone companies in ADGM, Masdar City or KEZAD can pay 0% on qualifying income if they meet the Qualifying Free Zone Person conditions, which include real substance in the zone and audited accounts.
Disclaimer: This article is for general information only. Cluster targets are government projections to 2045, taken from ADDED, ADIO, Department of Health and Abu Dhabi Media Office announcements and news reports, as checked on 27 October 2026. Incentives, licensing requirements and regulatory approvals vary by activity and can change. Confirm current requirements with ADIO, ADDED, the relevant free zone and sector regulators, or take professional advice before investing.
