The UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) and Emirates Development Bank (EDB) opened online applications on 4 November 2026 for the National Industrial Resilience Fund (NIRF) — a Dh1 billion (around $272.3 million) five-year programme. Critical industrial projects qualify for 0% financing until the end of the programme, with an annual service fee of 0.75%, a Dh100 million cap per group and up to 80% capex coverage.
What NIRF is: Dh1bn across five years
The fund was approved by the UAE Cabinet in April 2026, announced ahead of the fifth Make it in the Emirates event. It is a five-year programme with Dh1 billion as seed capital and a systemic tool to support the national industrial sector.
Governance sits with a Joint Governance Committee chaired by MoIAT, with the Ministry of Finance and Emirates Development Bank as members. The committee met at MoIAT's Dubai office on 4 November to open the portal. Applications and credit assessment go through EDB; strategic direction and the list of priority sectors stay with MoIAT.
At the macro level NIRF sits inside Operation 300bn and the broader UAE 2026 economic outlook: lift the non-oil industrial share in GDP, grow the local production base and strengthen supply chain resilience.
Financing terms: 0% for critical projects
The headline parameter is the rate. For projects the committee classifies as critical industrial, interest is 0% until the end of the programme. The only charge is a 0.75% annual service fee. Other approved projects are financed under standard EDB terms.
Two other limits define the envelope: the loan cap and the capex share. The fund lends up to Dh100 million per group (including affiliates) and covers up to 80% of eligible capital expenditure. The remaining 20% is the borrower's equity — a standard project-finance approach that keeps budget discipline.
Both new and existing factories qualify. Expansion of production lines, machinery upgrades, integration of adjacent capacity and integrated storage infrastructure are all eligible. Strategic inventory build-up, supplier payment financing and working capital to grow output are covered too — important for industrial companies with long procurement cycles.
Priority sectors and application parameters
Two sectors are explicit — pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, and food processing (for supply chain stability). A third category is open: strategic industries approved by the Joint Governance Committee, meaning the list can expand with policy priorities.
The fund prioritises localisation of strategic and critical industries, import substitution and supply chain resilience. Projects that adopt advanced manufacturing technologies — industrial AI, automation — are specifically encouraged. The same logic underpins a modern logistics and warehousing setup in the UAE: factories and distribution centres together form the chain NIRF aims to reinforce.
Hasan Jasem Al Nowais, Undersecretary of MoIAT, called the start of operations "a key step towards empowering the national industrial sector." Ahmed Mohamed Al Naqbi, CEO of Emirates Development Bank, said the fund is "an important step towards strengthening the UAE's industrial capabilities." Both statements were made at the Joint Governance Committee meeting on 4 November 2026.
How to apply
Applications are submitted online through the Emirates Development Bank website. Eligibility criteria and the full document list are published there. The process after submission: EDB runs the credit assessment, the Joint Governance Committee decides on strategic fit and the sector category (critical or standard project).
Practical notes for applicants. First, position the project clearly in one of the three priority categories (pharma/medical, food, strategic industry). Second, show localisation or import substitution with numbers — output volume, displaced imports, jobs. Third, present a financial model with a clean capex breakdown: the fund covers up to 80%, but wants to see how the remaining 20% is funded and how the project reaches operational break-even.
What this means for UAE business
Three takeaways. First, for industrial businesses in NIRF's priority niches the fund removes a large share of the cost of capital: 0% plus a 0.75% service fee is several multiples cheaper than market bank financing. That changes the economics of localisation projects.
Second, Dh100 million per group covers the mid-market well — medium-scale factories, regional food producers, mid-capacity pharma plants. For the largest corporates the cap is narrow, but the fund still works as a source for specific capex blocks inside a larger programme.
Third, the five-year horizon gives planning space. Companies with an industrial project at the feasibility stage have a window in the coming months to join the first approval wave. SMEs should prepare a feasibility study and financial model in advance and submit in a complete package.
Sources: Gulf News (4 November 2026); UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT); Emirates Development Bank (EDB); UAE Cabinet (April 2026 NIRF announcement).
