Aldar contributes $9.8mln to Sandooq Al Watan

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ABU DHABI - Aldar Properties today announced that, in line with its sustainability agenda and its commitment to supporting future generations of UAE nationals, it is contributing AED36 million to Sandooq Al Watan – the UAE’s national fund, taking its total contributions to AED120 million.

As a part of its contribution, Aldar is pledging AED4.5 million to fund research grants into water scarcity and usage, said a press release issued by Aldar on Tuesday.

This pledge follows Aldar’s commitment to be an active participant in how its annual donations are allocated, and follows on from its participation in the successful Mawhibatna and UAE Coder initiatives which were hosted at Aldar’s Al Mamoura Academy. Sandooq Al Watan will administer the research funding through its dedicated platform as a part of its SWARD programme.

The SWARD programme seeks to bridge the gap between academia and industry in the UAE in order to deliver tangible social and economic outcomes. SWARD supports medium to large scale projects across four priority areas, namely; aerospace and defence, water management, healthcare and genomics, and, the 4th industrial revolution.

Commenting on the pledge, Talal Al Dhiyebi, CEO of Aldar Properties, said, "We are immensely proud to support Sandooq Al Watan with an annual contribution to support its incredible works to create new opportunities for the next generation of UAE nationals. Furthermore, we are delighted to fund vital research into water scarcity and usage, which is of national importance as pressure on our precious water resources continues to grow. We look forward to the requests for research funding coming as we look to make a meaningful and positive impact on our society and environment." "Aldar is not only one of our biggest donors, but it is also a key partner in delivering some of our biggest initiatives to date. By leveraging their experience in education, investment and retail, we have been able to maximise the impact of our initiatives and benefit over 5,000 Emiratis since our inception in 2017," said Mohamed Al Qadi, Director-General of Sandooq Al Watan.