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Thumbay breaks ground on landmark Research Centre, announces Dh3 million research grant
New facility in Ajman will house advanced research laboratories and support global collaborations across medicine, genomics, artificial intelligence, and healthcare innovation
- PUBLISHED: Thu 11 Jun 2026, 10:20 AM
Thumbay Group has broken ground on the Thumbay International Research Centre, a purpose-built, six-storey research facility in Al Jurf, Ajman, designed to bring scientific discovery, diagnostics and clinical care together under one roof.
The ground-breaking ceremony was held at Dusit Ajman Resort and Villas under the patronage of Sheikh Ammar bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Crown Prince of Ajman and Chairman of the Ajman Executive Council, and hosted by Dr Thumbay Moideen, Founder President of Thumbay Group.
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Spanning approximately 3,000 square metres across a ground floor, five upper levels and a rooftop, the facility will rise to 27.75 metres on Plot 7150. It has been designed to support the full research continuum, with start-up laboratories, an incubation centre and an AR/VR lab on the first floor; general wet laboratories on the second; experimental oncology on the third; genomics, next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics on the fourth; and a preclinical floor featuring animal facilities and a dedicated zebrafish unit on the fifth. The ground floor will house a 110-seat seminar hall and a shared imaging core.
The centre will become the permanent home of Gulf Medical University’s research enterprise, supporting faculty and students across medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, health sciences, nursing, veterinary medicine and AI in healthcare. It will be anchored by the Thumbay Research Institute for Precision Medicine (TRIPM).
"For the past three decades, we have invested in building hospitals, healthcare services and a world-class private medical university,” said Dr Moideen. "This research centre represents the next chapter of that journey. Our vision was to bring discovery, diagnosis and treatment together."
The ceremony awarded the second cycle of the Thumbay International Research Grant, awarding Dh3 million to 13 research projects led by investigators from institutions across 26 countries, each paired with a Gulf Medical University researcher. The funded projects span precision oncology, drug discovery, cochlear implant research, artificial intelligence in medical education and veterinary diabetes.
The grant draws on partnerships with Harvard Medical School, Baylor University, Washington University and the University of Arizona in the US; Waterloo University in Canada; Policlinico Hospital in Italy; Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands; Regensburg University, Hannover Medical School and Charité Berlin in Germany; and Lublin University in Poland. A third cycle was announced during the programme.