Masdar City Free Zone, Abu Dhabi

Masdar City Free Zone is the first global clean-tech cluster to be located in one of the most sustainable cities in the world. It is home to the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).The 6-sq-km city, located near Abu Dhabi International Airport and 17km from downtown Abu Dhabi, is emerging as a global centre for the sale, marketing, servicing and demonstration of renewable energy and sustainability technologies, as well as research and development, and investment in these fields.

As a business cluster, Masdar City Free Zone provides firms with an environment that inspires innovation, offers business development opportunities, provides a living lab and test bed for new technologies, encourages informal knowledge sharing among like-minded professionals and serves as a magnet for world-class clean-tech talent.

Masdar City Free Zone will be home to numerous companies, from Fortune 500 multinationals to start ups and the most cutting-edge technology firms, bringing these businesses close to fast-growing markets of the Middle East North Africa and Asia regions hungry for clean technology and renewable-power products and services, driven by strong economic and demographic growth and increasingly supportive regulatory environments and government-level policy commitments to sustainability goals.

A one-stop shop for companies in the sector, Masdar City provides quick and easy set up, without the need for a local sponsor.

Some of the most advanced laboratories in the region are located at Masdar Institute, and the presence of this graduate-level research institute offers opportunities to pilot and test new technologies and ideas. The institute, the world’s first graduate university focused on renewable energy and cleantech, provides a steady stream of some of the best graduates anywhere in the sector.

Numerous Business Benefits by Masdar City Free Zone

• Continuous formal and informal knowledge sharing across the city among the most talented experts in their sectors.
• Advanced laboratories located within the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology.
• A location with unmatched international exposure from governments, organisations and companies looking to learn from Masdar City,
• ts partners and suppliers. By locating at Masdar City, companies can benefit from this association.
• The most efficient, state-of-the-art and sustainable buildings provide the ideal working and residential environment for staff.
• All the amenities one would expect from a world-class city.
• All types of commercial space: high-grade offices, research laboratories, testing facilities, assembly, concept stores and retail.

Special Economic Zone Benefits

Masdar City Free Zone offers all the benefits one would associate with a Special Economic zone, though with a unique focus on clean technology and renewables, in a business-friendly and entrepreneurial environment that offers the following.

• Quick and easy set up with a one-stop shop for registration, government relations and fast-track visa processing.
• Zero percent import tariffs.
• Zero percent taxes on companies and individuals.
• No restrictions on capital movements, profits or quotas.
• 100% foreign ownership.
• No currency restrictions.
• Hiring of expatriate staff.
• Gateway to the vibrant market opportunities of the Middle East and Asia.
• Outstanding logistics network incorporating air, sea, road and eventually rail.
• A safe, friendly working environment.
• A high quality of life.
• The opportunity to maximise corporate social responsibility objectives Strong IP protection framework.

Areas of Focus

In light of its climate and geography, Masdar City Free Zone will focus on attracting firms and pursuing research in four primary areas of the cleantech industry: solar, green building, water, and power storage, and secondarily in the areas of smart grids, efficiency appliances, electric vehicles and waste.