National Experts Program

What National Experts Program does

The National Experts Program (NEP) is a UAE federal leadership and expertise development initiative launched in January 2019 under the direct direction of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. The program is operated by ODA Academy, the capability-building arm of the Office of Development Affairs of the Presidential Court, and is delivered through cohort-based programs (NEP 1.0 through NEP 4.0) that combine academic coursework from McGill Executive Institute, mentorship from UAE ministers and senior executives, and capstone projects addressing national priorities. Participants are Emirati professionals nominated from federal ministries, emirate-level entities, and major state-owned enterprises, with 118 experts developed across 25 sectors to date and 20 distinguished Fellows among alumni.

In 2025, NEP introduced NEP-AI, a specialized track structured around 6 AI tracks across 25 sectors and hosted at the Prime Minister's Office and MBZUAI (Mohammed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence), aimed at building sovereign AI leadership in support of the UAE National AI Strategy 2031. NEP is not a commercial enterprise and has no revenue model; it is a free, government-funded capacity-building program supported by Mubadala (Legacy Partner), Emirates Foundation (community service), and McGill Executive Institute (academic), with reported alumni placements spanning ADNOC, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Dubai Police, Abu Dhabi Police, EDGE Group, Microsoft UAE, MBZUAI, the Ministry of Defence, and the Ministry of Interior. The program therefore functions as a national human capital pipeline rather than a market-facing business, making it structurally incompatible with conventional PE/VC/M&A investment frameworks.

Name

National Experts Program

Legal name

National Experts Program

Website

https://uaenep.ae

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The National Experts Program is a UAE federal government leadership development initiative, launched in 2019 under the direction of the President of the UAE, that develops Emirati experts through cohort-based programs, mentorship, and academic partnerships across 25 sectors, including a specialized AI track.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Leadership Development Programs

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDADALAA

Intergovernmental Education Cooperation & Bilateral/Multilateral Programs

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Education Partnerships, Intergovernmental & NGO Programs

SECONDARYBPADABAO

Technical Cooperation, Capacity Building & Policy Advisory Programs

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Bilateral Development Agencies & Aid Programs

Keywords

• Leadership development programs
• National capacity building
• Government expert training
• Sector mentorship programs
• AI policy education

Headquarters

HQ city

Abu Dhabi

HQ country

United Arab Emirates

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: NEP is a UAE government initiative developed under the direction of the President of the UAE. The program is delivered by ODA Academy (capability-building arm of the Office of Development Affairs of the Presidential Court) with support from Mubadala and other government partners. There is no commercial revenue model as this is a national capacity-building program.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

National Experts Program is a UAE presidential leadership development initiative that recruits and prepares Emirati experts through cohort-based programs (NEP 1.0 through 4.0 and NEP-AI) to lead transformation across 25 sectors aligned with UAE national priorities. The program combines academic learning from McGill Executive Institute, mentorship from UAE ministers and corporate CEOs, and real-world application via capstone projects, with NEP-AI focused on AI capabilities across 6 tracks.

Product overview

The National Experts Program is a UAE presidential initiative launched in 2019 under the direction of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. It operates as a comprehensive leadership development ecosystem consisting of: (1) the main NEP program with cohorts NEP 1.0 through 4.0, (2) NEP-AI, a specialized AI track supporting the UAE National AI Strategy 2031 with 6 thematic tracks across 25 sectors, (3) the NEP Community connecting 118 Emirati experts through alumni, mentors, and fellows networks, and (4) media platforms including blog and podcast content. The program is delivered by ODA Academy with academic support from McGill Executive Institute and legacy partnership from Mubadala.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NEP-AI: A specialized track of the National Experts Program created to prepare Emirati experts to harness the power of artificial intelligence in shaping the UAE's future. Supports the UAE National AI Strategy 2031.

Products and services

• National Experts Program (NEP) Flagship UAE government leadership development program delivered through cohorts (NEP 1.0 through 4.0) that prepares nominated Emirati experts to lead transformation in future-growth sectors through mentorship, academic modules, and capstone projects.
• NEP-AI Specialized track of the National Experts Program preparing Emirati experts to harness artificial intelligence in shaping the UAE's future, structured around 6 thematic tracks distributed across 25 sectors.
• NEP Community

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• ODA AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019NEP is delivered by ODA Academy, the capability-building arm of the Office of Development Affairs of the Presidential Court. ODA Academy supports the UAE's strategic priorities through the program's curriculum and delivery.
• MubadalaflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Mubadala serves as Legacy Partner with long-term involvement providing invaluable assistance in expanding NEP's mission and developing its strategic vision.
• Emirates FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAs part of Erth Zayed Philanthropies, Emirates Foundation supports NEP's community service initiative, strengthening the link between the program and its original spirit by highlighting values and behaviors that transform sector experts into values-inspired leaders.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• INSEAD Executive Education: Globally recognized executive education provider delivering short modular programs to senior executives. NEP's cohort-based, mentorship-led, multi-month format with capstone projects closely mirrors INSEAD's executive education architecture for senior leaders.
• ODA Academy: Capability-building arm of the Office of Development Affairs of the Presidential Court that delivers NEP. ODA Academy shares governance, mission, and beneficiary base with NEP and represents the closest operational peer in UAE national capability building.
• McGill Executive Institute: Academic partner delivering coursework for NEP since 2019. McGill Executive Institute's customized executive programs for governments and senior leaders share NEP's design philosophy of combining academic rigor with applied capstone work.
• MBZUAI (Mohamed bin Zayed University of AI): A UAE government-backed graduate-level AI university in Abu Dhabi that explicitly hosts NEP-AI activities. Both NEP and MBZUAI share the same Presidential patronage, focus on national AI capability, and target UAE national priorities, making MBZUAI the closest institutional peer.

Broad incumbents

• London Business School Executive Education: Premier executive education provider with cohort-based senior leader programs. LBS shares NEP's emphasis on cross-sector executive cohorts, mentorship, and strategic-leadership themes, and is a benchmark for global executive education.
• Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education: Senior government and public-sector leadership development programs that target heads of state, ministers, and policy leaders. NEP's mission of producing ministerial-grade UAE nationals makes Harvard Kennedy School a relevant comparable for elite government leadership development.
• Mubadala: UAE sovereign investor serving as NEP's Legacy Partner. Mubadala's broader mandate to develop UAE national capability and economic transformation across strategic sectors directly aligns with NEP, even though Mubadala is broader in scope (investment, healthcare, technology) than executive education.

Regional players

• Singapore Civil Service College: Singapore's primary government capability-building institution that develops senior public-sector leaders through cohort programs and applied modules. Operates under a different political system but offers a comparable model of structured government leader development.

Others

• Chevening Scholarship Programme (UK FCDO): UK government-funded program developing global leaders through fully-funded master's degrees. While scholarships-based rather than cohort-based, Chevening shares NEP's model of identifying high-potential professionals and developing them for national leadership roles.

Emerging players

• World Economic Forum Young Global Leaders: Multi-year leadership program identifying and developing next-generation leaders globally across sectors. NEP's sector-spanning, cohort-based, mentor-led model parallels YGL's structure of curated cohorts plus executive mentorship, though at a national rather than multinational scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/uae_nep
• Facebookfacebook.com/UAENEP
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-experts-program-nep

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Experts Program