"Athar Center+" Supports the UAE’s campaign to become the startup capital of the world

ABU DHABI, 20th October, 2020 (WAM) – The Community Contributions Authority continues its efforts to consolidate Abu Dhabi’s position as a leading regional destination in the field of social entrepreneurship, through the Athar+ Center, which was launched during the year 2025, in line with the objectives of the national campaign “UAE: Start-up Capital of the World”, launched by the UAE government under the supervision of the Ministry of Tourism and Economy.

Since its launch last May, Athar+ has succeeded in building a community that includes 27 members within its programmes, supporting 33 entities from the third sector, in addition to launching 3 effective programs and providing more than 36 hours of training with the participation of 32 experts. Athar+ also cooperates with 10 service providers and 5 strategic partners to support the growing system of social companies and public benefit institutions in Abu Dhabi.

“Athar+” is the first center specialized in accelerating social impact in Abu Dhabi, and is part of the “From Community to Society” initiative launched by the Authority to enhance community participation in conjunction with the Year of Community. The center brings together social companies and public benefit institutions within an integrated system of cooperation and social entrepreneurship, which reflects the Authority’s vision of establishing a culture of giving, participation, and achieving societal progress.

“Athar+” is one of the community initiatives affiliated with the “Ma’an” Authority and is funded by community contributions. It is designed to enable social impact entities to grow and prosper. The center aims to support social enterprises and public benefit organizations in expanding the scope of their missions and enhancing their positive impact throughout Abu Dhabi, by providing dedicated work spaces, guidance and guidance, and customized programmes.

The center is considered a strategic step within the Authority’s efforts to empower the third sector, promote social entrepreneurship, and establish an integrated system to support this sector, as a continuation of the “Together” social incubator that was launched in 2019.

The center’s work program includes qualitative initiatives such as the “Athar+ Hackathon,” which allows students and those interested to test innovative solutions to societal challenges, in addition to specialized programs in social entrepreneurship, which consolidates the center’s role as an incubator for new ideas and enhances the contribution of entrepreneurs in finding practical solutions with a tangible impact.

As part of its participation in the “Expand North Star” exhibition within the GITEX activities, the center reviewed the services provided to social companies and shed light on social entrepreneurship. 12 classified social companies participated in the exhibition to showcase their work, projects and services, in addition to the “Social Impact Challenge” competition, where 108 companies presented in the challenge and 8 companies were displayed during the exhibition, as the exhibition provided the participating entities with an opportunity to showcase their business models. And obtain financial support and access to “Athar+” services.

His Excellency Salem Ali Al Shamsi, Executive Director of the Incubator and Social Contracts Sector at the Community Contributions Authority – Ma’an, said: Since the establishment of the Community Contributions Authority – Ma’an in 2019, the priority of our work has become supporting emerging companies that provide business models capable of making a tangible impact in communities, as these companies have topped the community development scene and we always seek to provide appropriate support that paves the way for this type of startups. To greatly influence and inspire our communities, we were keen to design a work system for the social incubator and the “Athar+” Center in a way that enhances efforts to develop a vital network of social companies capable of stimulating social entrepreneurship and adopting best practices to address social priorities in Abu Dhabi.

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