Zayed Museum opens applications for research fund

Zayed National Museum has invited researchers from around the world to apply to the 2025 Zayed National Museum Research Fund.

The Research Fund, which amounts to a total of Dhs1 million, supports research projects contributing to the preservation, advancement of knowledge and understanding of the United Arab Emirates’ heritage and culture, as well as that of the wider region.

The Research Fund is inspired by the values of the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Founding Father, through its commitment to ambitious and rigorous research that preserves and revives the UAE’s deep heritage, while fostering knowledge, innovation, and resilience.

The fund provides both large and small grants, targeting seasoned researchers as well as those at the beginning of their careers, whose work aims to deepen our collective understanding of the history and culture of the United Arab Emirates and wider region.

Saood Abdulaziz Al Hosani, Undersecretary of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi, said, “The nurturing of the generation of knowledge and creativity supports our commitment to preserve and promote the treasured cultural heritage of Abu Dhabi and the UAE, in line with the inspiring example set by our founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed. The UAE has long been a crossroads of cultures, ideas, and progress, and the Research Fund is a natural extension of that legacy, empowering researchers to push the boundaries of discovery, which shape our understanding of the past and inform our collective future.

These insights not only provide new knowledge, but inform the present, fostering pride and a stronger sense of cultural identity in our youth and all members of the community, and enabling us to further share our heritage with the world.”

Applications will be reviewed by a panel of representatives from Zayed National Museum and the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi, as well as external subject matter experts. The research projects will be assessed against criteria such as research methodology, experience, outcomes, and alignment with the museum’s mandate.

Dr. Peter Magee, Director of Zayed National Museum, said, “Each year, the Zayed National Museum Research Fund enables researchers and academics to dig deeper into our past, revealing valuable insights into the history, heritage and traditions of the United Arab Emirates and the region. By supporting original scholarship, the Research Fund contributes to a growing body of knowledge that informs the present and preserves cultural continuity. Rooted in the legacy of Sheikh Zayed, whose vision championed education and heritage, these grants play a vital role in cultivating intellectual engagement and strengthening a shared sense of identity.”

Dr. Magee added, “As a research institution, I am immensely proud of the pivotal role Zayed National Museum plays in preserving the rich history and culture of the region for future generations and inspiring the next cohort of historians, archaeologists, and thinkers.”

The key themes of the Research Fund include the life and achievements of the UAE’s Founding Father, late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the archaeological and intangible history of the UAE, the archaeology and history of the Arabian Peninsula and South Asia, and conferences and invited lectures that revolve around the themes outlined.

Launched in 2023, Zayed National Museum’s Research Fund has now supported 18 projects from countries across the globe, including China, Egypt, India, Italy, France, Oman, Poland, UAE, UK and USA.

The projects supported by the fund represent a wide variety of topics and fields - from the rock art of Southern and Eastern Arabia, to Sheikh Zayed’s legacy, and its role and impact on the UAE’s society and culture.

Previous recipients of the fund have gone on to research population history of the region through analysis of ancient DNA, historical trade routes between India and the Arabian Peninsula, and shifts in the cultural landscape among the Early Bronze Age inhabitants of the Al Ain Oasis.

WAM