Table of Contents
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What does innovation and AI research and consultancy do?
It researches artificial intelligence technologies and trends and advises clients on AI strategy, project feasibility, solution recommendations, adoption roadmaps, and the ethical use of AI.
2. What does this activity cover?
It covers researching and analysing AI technologies and their impact across industries, and consultancy on AI strategy, feasibility, implementation, innovation, and responsible, ethical adoption.
3. Is this activity the same as building AI software?
No. This activity is research and consultancy on AI. Designing and building the AI software itself is computer programming, classified as a separate activity.
4. How big is AI's expected impact on the UAE economy?
Artificial intelligence is expected to contribute around USD 96 billion to the UAE economy by 2030, close to 14 percent of GDP, the largest relative impact in the region.
5. Who needs AI and innovation consultancy in the UAE?
Organisations across healthcare, finance, energy, logistics, and government need advice on where and how to adopt AI, what it costs, and whether projects are feasible.
How to Start an Innovation and Artificial Intelligence Research and Consultancy with Meydan Free Zone
Every company now says it is using AI. Most of them are guessing. They have the budgets, the tools, and the pressure to act, but little idea which problems the technology actually solves for them. Innovation and AI research and consultancy is the business of replacing that guesswork with judgement.
Artificial intelligence is expected to contribute around USD 96 billion to the UAE economy by 2030, close to 14 percent of its GDP and the largest relative impact of any country in the region, according to PwC Middle East¹.
The market for AI itself is forecast to grow from about USD 3.5 billion in 2023 to roughly USD 46 billion by 2030, according to Grand View Research². Behind those numbers is a simple problem: most organisations know AI matters but are unsure how to apply it, which is exactly where research and consultancy come in.
The UAE has bet heavily on artificial intelligence, from national strategy to sovereign investment. That bet creates a steady need for people who can tell organisations what to actually do about it.
Sources: PwC Middle East; Grand View Research (2025).
An innovation and AI consultancy sells clarity: research, analysis, and advice that tells an organisation what artificial intelligence can realistically do for it. It is a knowledge business whose value is in helping clients move from interest in AI to a strategy they can act on. Companies, government bodies, and investors all rely on it to provide advice on how to use AI purposefully and effectively.
The demand is rising on two fronts at once. Organisations across healthcare, finance, energy, logistics, and government are under pressure to adopt AI, but few have the in-house expertise to know which technologies fit, what they will cost, or whether a project is feasible.
At the same time, the UAE has made AI a national priority, with a dedicated AI strategy, a government council, and an ethics charter, which raises both the expectation to act and the standard to act responsibly.
A consultancy that can research the technology, assess feasibility, build a roadmap, and weigh the ethical questions meets a need that is growing faster than the supply of people able to do it well.
From AI strategy and feasibility to innovation roadmaps and responsible adoption, the UAE rewards consultancies that turn the promise of artificial intelligence into something organisations can actually use.
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Who is this for?
- AI strategy consultants: Consultants advising organisations on where and how to adopt artificial intelligence.
- AI and innovation researchers: Researchers analysing AI technologies, trends, and their impact across industries.
- AI implementation advisors: Advisors assessing feasibility and guiding organisations through AI adoption and roadmaps.
Meydan Free Zone offers 100% foreign ownership, zero percent corporate tax on qualifying income, full profit repatriation, and a fully digital licensing process, providing a regulated and cost-efficient base from which to operate an innovation and AI research and consultancy business in a market backed by national AI strategy.
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7020.99 - Innovation & Artificial Intelligence Research & Consultancies
Under this activity, you are licensed to conduct research, analysis, and consultancy in the field of artificial intelligence, with an emphasis on innovation.
There are clear boundaries on this activity. Most importantly, it is consultancy and research, not software development: designing and building computer software is a separate activity, even when the subject is artificial intelligence.
The wider management-consultancy classification also places a range of other advisory services under their own codes, including legal advice, accounting and tax consulting, engineering and other technical advisory work, advertising, market research and opinion polling, executive search and recruitment, and educational consulting.
This activity is research and strategic advice on innovation and AI; it does not build the systems, and it is distinct from those other professional services.
The line is precise. If your business researches AI and advises clients on innovation and AI strategy, you are in. If you build the AI software itself, or provide legal, accounting, engineering, advertising, market research, recruitment, or educational consulting, you are not.
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Third-Party Approval
No third-party approval is required for this business activity.
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance
This business activity is exempt from AML compliance requirements.
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Citations
¹ PwC Middle East. The Potential Impact of Artificial Intelligence in the Middle East. PwC Middle East.
² Grand View Research. UAE Artificial Intelligence Market Size and Report. Grand View Research, 2025.
