Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation

What Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation does

Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI) is a private, non-profit higher education institution headquartered in Dubai Design District (d3), United Arab Emirates. It is the first design-dedicated university in the UAE and offers the first multidisciplinary Bachelor of Design in the Middle East region, alongside a newly-launched Master of Design. The four-year Bachelor of Design (120 credit hours) requires students to combine two of four disciplines — Product Design, Multimedia Design, Fashion Design, and Strategic Design Management — within a curriculum co-developed with MIT and Parsons School of Design. The institution is accredited by the UAE Ministry of Education and operates as an LLC under TECOM Investments FZ-LLC (part of TECOM Group), with Mohammad Abdullah serving as President.

DIDI generates revenue primarily through tuition and academic fees for its undergraduate and graduate programs; pricing is not publicly disclosed and prospective applicants are routed through an admissions portal. Go-to-market is direct-to-student via the website application portal, supported by campus visits, information sessions, education fairs, an active social presence (Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube), email newsletter, and participation in industry events such as Dubai Design Week and Al Serkal Avenue exhibitions. Customer segments span undergraduate students, graduate design professionals, and international students, with the Class of 2025 representing 17 nationalities.

Differentiating capabilities include the MIT/Parsons curriculum pedigree, the first-in-region designation, Dubai Design District location, and a growing ecosystem of high-profile industry partnerships. Active alliances include Roche Diagnostics Middle East (healthcare design, MoU signed December 2025), Brand Lounge (industry-led Brand Design course, January 2026), the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (Universal Design for Inclusion Program, April 2025), the Sustainable Markets Initiative's Terra Carta Design Lab (2024 global winners, founded by King Charles III and Sir Jony Ive), and Sheraa (incubation pipeline). Auxiliary programs include the campus-based Project Design Space (PDS, now in season nine) and cross-institution work with five other UAE universities on inclusive design.

Name

Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation

Legal name

Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation LLC

Website

https://didi.ac.ae

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI) is a private higher education institution in Dubai Design District offering the region's first multidisciplinary Bachelor of Design and a newly launched Master of Design, with curriculum co-developed by MIT and Parsons School of Design.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Design Colleges (Graphic, Industrial, UX/UI, Interior) (EDAHAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Learning Experience Design (LXD) & UX for Learning (EDAGAKAF)

Keywords

• Design education programs
• Multidisciplinary design curriculum
• Undergraduate design degrees
• Creative leadership programs
• Higher education design

Headquarters

HQ city

Dubai

HQ country

United Arab Emirates

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Academic Fees: Revenue generated from tuition fees for Bachelor of Design and Master of Design programs. Students pay for their education over the course of their studies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

DIDI is a higher education institution that delivers multidisciplinary design education through a four-year Bachelor of Design (120 credit hours) and a graduate-level Master of Design. Students in the Bachelor of Design combine two of four disciplines — Product Design, Multimedia Design, Fashion Design, or Strategic Design Management — and receive instruction grounded in a curriculum co-developed with MIT and Parsons School of Design, supplemented by industry-led projects, workshops, and the Project Design Space (PDS) campus initiative.

Product overview

Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI) is a higher education institution offering two core degree programs: a four-year Bachelor of Design (first multidisciplinary Bachelor of Design in the region, developed in partnership with MIT and Parsons School of Design) and a Master of Design program (the first design-dedicated graduate degree in the UAE). Students must combine two of four disciplines: Product Design, Multimedia Design, Fashion Design, and Strategic Design Management. The institution also operates Project Design Space (PDS), an ongoing campus initiative for student projects currently in its ninth season, and Terra Carta Design Lab in partnership with the Sustainable Markets Initiative. DIDI is located at Dubai Design District and maintains industry partnerships including Roche Diagnostics for healthcare innovation and the National MS Society for inclusive design. The institution is accredited by the UAE Ministry of Education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bachelor of Design A four-year undergraduate degree program and the first multidisciplinary Bachelor of Design in the Middle East region, with a curriculum co-developed by MIT and Parsons School of Design. Students select two of four disciplines and graduate as multiskilled creative thinkers and designers.
• Master of Design A graduate-level Master of Design program, the first design-dedicated university graduate degree in the UAE, designed to develop creative leadership and advanced design thinking.

Quantifiable outcome

• Graduates successful in diverse fields from AI-powered safety tools to garments from food waste

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

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor, flagship and core.

• Brand LoungeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 January 2026Industry-led Brand Design course partnership bridging academia and Dubai's creative economy. Course designed to provide students with practical industry experience and connections.
• Roche Diagnostics Middle EastflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 December 2025MoU partnership bringing together healthcare and design education. Students will apply creativity to real healthcare challenges including diabetes management and Green Labs. Roche provides expert guidance, project assessment support, and potential internship opportunities for winning students. Collaboration on awareness initiatives co-driven by both organizations.
• National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 2025Collaboration on Universal Design for Inclusion Program involving five UAE universities. DIDI students address real-world challenges related to mobility, communication, and cognitive accessibility with guidance from NMSS ambassadors and industry mentors.
• MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMIT collaborated in developing DIDI's unique multidisciplinary curriculum, bringing academic rigor and innovation methodology to the institution's design education approach.
• Parsons School of DesigncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParsons School of Design partnered with DIDI to develop the curriculum framework, contributing expertise in design education methodology and industry best practices.
• Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerWinning teams from the Universal Design for Inclusion Program advance to Sheraa's Startup Dojo for mentorship, incubation, and development support to turn ideas into real-world innovations.
• Abu Dhabi UniversityminorOthersPartner university in the Universal Design for Inclusion Program, a collaborative initiative across UAE higher education institutions.
• University of SharjahminorOthersPartner university in the Universal Design for Inclusion Program.
• Khalifa UniversityminorOthersPartner university in the Universal Design for Inclusion Program.
• Al Ain UniversityminorOthersPartner university in the Universal Design for Inclusion Program.
• Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT)minorOthersPartner university in the Universal Design for Inclusion Program.
• Sustainable Markets Initiative / Terra Carta Design LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded by King Charles III and designer Sir Jony Ive, this initiative selects global universities for climate and biodiversity competitions. DIDI was among only four global universities selected for the 2024 competition.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Design Academy Eindhoven: Design Academy Eindhoven is a Dutch university specializing in bachelor and master programs in product, strategic, and social design. Its human-centered, multidisciplinary approach closely aligns with DIDI's design philosophy.
• Parsons School of Design (The New School): Parsons is one of the world's leading design colleges and is the co-developer of DIDI's curriculum. It operates undergraduate and graduate design programs across product, fashion, multimedia, and strategic design management — directly overlapping DIDI's four discipline areas.
• Pratt Institute: Pratt is a private US college with strong undergraduate and graduate design programs in industrial design, fashion, communications design, and digital arts — overlapping DIDI's product, multimedia, and fashion disciplines.
• Central Saint Martins (University of the Arts London): Central Saint Martins is a globally recognized art and design college within UAL offering fashion, product, multimedia, and design management programs. Its multidisciplinary and industry-led model is a direct analogue to DIDI.
• Royal College of Art: The Royal College of Art is the world's only wholly postgraduate university of art and design. Its graduate-only model and emphasis on creative leadership and industry collaboration closely mirror DIDI's planned Master of Design positioning.
• Rhode Island School of Design (RISD): RISD is a leading US art and design college offering undergraduate and graduate programs across architecture, fashion, industrial design, and digital media. Its multidisciplinary, studio-based pedagogy and global reputation make it a directly comparable private design school.
• Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD): SCAD is a large private nonprofit art and design university offering bachelor and master degrees across fashion, product design, UX/UI, and motion media — closely mirroring DIDI's disciplinary breadth and industry-partnership-driven model.

Regional players

• Hong Kong Design Institute: HKDI is an Asia-based government-funded design institution offering multidisciplinary design diplomas and degrees across product, fashion, digital media, and architecture. It serves a comparable regional student demographic but in the APAC market rather than the Middle East.
• American University of Sharjah — College of Architecture, Art and Design: AUS's College of Architecture, Art and Design is a UAE-based competitor offering accredited design, architecture, and multimedia programs to a similar regional and international student pool, making it the most directly competitive Gulf-based peer.
• Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design & Technology: Srishti is an India-based multidisciplinary design school offering undergraduate and graduate programs in product, fashion, communication, and strategic design. Its emerging-market, multidisciplinary private model is structurally comparable, though it operates in India rather than the Middle East.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation