In an unprecedented charity auction that raised AED 89.8 million at Al Jalila Foundation fundraising gala dinner, the race helmet worn by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, during His victorious win at the FEI World Endurance Championship in 2012, sold for a record-breaking amount of AED 24,050,000.

Also, among the prestigious auction items was Al Yamamah saddle donated by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, which he rode to victory at the 2014 Altech FEI World Equestrian Games in Normandy, France. The saddle sold for a record-breaking AED 2,400,000.

The second highest auction sale of the evening was for HH Sheikh Zayed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Dubai Distinguished Vehicle Number Plate code O number 9, the first time that a single digit Dubai plate has ever been auctioned, which fetched AED 23,900,000. Other auction items included an Arabian Horse, a luxury holiday experience; 300 Year Old Quran; a sculpture by famous Emirati artist; antique pistol statue; limited edition timepieces and a number of Etisalat distinguished telephone numbers.

The gala dinner, which was brought together under the theme of ‘Research for Life’, was attended by over 350 guests including HRH Princess Haya bint Al Hussein; Dr Raja Al Gurg, Member of the Board for Trustees and Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Al Jalila Foundation; Humaid Mohammed Obaid Al Qutami, Director General of Dubai Health Authority; Abdullah Al Shaibani, Secretary General of Dubai Executive Council: Members of the Board of Trustees of Al Jalila Foundation and a number of philanthropists and members of the community.

Dr Raja Al Gurg, Member of the Board for Trustees and Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Al Jalila Foundation, commented after the auction:

“Our success tonight is testament to the generosity of the people of the UAE. We are very grateful for the support of our sponsors, auction donors and everyone for a wonderful evening. It’s truly inspiring to see the community come together to support local medical research.”

During his welcome Dr Abdulkareem Al Olama, CEO of Al Jalila Foundation, said:

“Al Jalila Foundation, like the rest of Dubai, is a product of the vision and foresight of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, one that has altered the course of medical innovation in the United Arab Emirates. There is no one who embodies better the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed and the mission of Al Jalila Foundation than Chairperson of Dubai Healthcare City Authority, HRH Princess Haya bint Al Hussein. Her passion for hunger alleviation, nutrition awareness, and the improvement of healthcare systems is recognized and celebrated the world over. We are so honoured by HRH Princess Haya’s continued support and patronage. It is indeed a privilege and an honor for myself and my team to lead this ground-breaking institution into the future.”

The total proceeds of the charity gala reached AED 89,837,000 which included an AED 25 million donation from Mr Sunny Varkey and AED 10 million from a long-term supporter of the Foundation, Raghuvinder Kataria.

The auction organised by Emirates Auction, a leading global auction house, began online to enable a wider participation and attracted more than 600 bids, including international participants, and culminated with a live auction at the charity gala. Emirates Auction holds five Guinness World Records for the most expensive car plates, properties and vessels sold at auction. Following Al Jalila Foundation charity auction, Emirates Auction now holds the world record for the highest amount ever raised for a race helmet and horse saddle, adding to the company’s long list of accolades.

Also, earlier this month Al Jalila Foundation received an AED 60 million donation from Dr Rajen A. Kilachand. In addition, donations to the value of AED 90 million came from Abdul Salam Kandampath and Shamlal Madathum Parambath, Dr Azad Moopen, Dr B R Shetty, Mr Micky Jagtiani, Mr Nilesh Ved, Mr Puthan N C Menon, Mr Faizal Kottikollon & Ms. Shabana Faizal.

Al Jalila Foundation’s investments in medical research and education aim to nurture a future generation of highly-qualified medical professionals through postgraduate scholarships, research seed grants and international fellowships. The Al Jalila Foundation Research Centre, the UAE’s first independent multi-disciplinary medical research centre, will bring together local and international scientists to address the region’s most pressing health challenges: cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity and mental health. The state-of-the-art centre is scheduled to open in 2017 at Dubai Healthcare City.

Al Jalila Foundation and Dubai SME, the agency of the Department of Economic Development (DED) in Dubai mandated to develop the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector, have signed a partnership agreement to launch Al Jalila Foundation Healthcare Innovation Center (in2Hc), the UAE first healthcare incubator.

The in2Hc (read as: into healthcare) initiative is in response to the call of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai to observe 22-28 November 2015 as the National Innovation Week.

The in2Hc aims to enable aspiring Emirati doctors from a number of medical specialties to start-up their business enterprise in healthcare by providing them with the required resources and support- including facilities, funding and mentoring. The outcome of this initiative will be successful Emirati entrepreneurs who will transform healthcare in the UAE through their innovative contributions and services.

The agreement was signed by Abdul Baset Al Janahi, CEO of Dubai SME, and Dr. Abdulkareem Sultan Al Olama, CEO of Al Jalila Foundation.

“This quality initiative aims to expand the network of business incubators through the support of business leaders in various fields, especially the medical field. We are pleased to be partners with Al Jalila Foundation in strengthening the competencies of our national cadre in the healthcare sector. Our collaboration will see the Hamdan Innovation Incubator providing resources and opportunities for pilot projects and innovative ideas of young and entrepreneurial UAE nationals,”

commented Al Janahi.

Al Janahi added that this partnership will strengthen the entrepreneurial culture in Dubai and enable UAE national doctors establish their own businesses, thereby helping the country achieve its vision and strategy of developing and upgrading SMEs to the top position in the economic, social and cultural spheres.

“In addition to development advisory and support, we will also provide innovative medical entrepreneurs with specialized training in entrepreneurship and financial management through the Dubai Entrepreneurship of Dubai SME,” he added.

Dr. Al Olama said the UAE Innovation Week is a wonderful celebration of innovation and testament to the UAE’s commitment to be a global front-runner across a number of industries for the betterment and happiness of the nation.

“The launching of the in2Hc, which will be based at Dubai Healthcare City, is in line with Al Jalila Foundation vision to be at the forefront of medical innovation. We are delighted to support aspiring Emirati physicians to become the medical entrepreneurs of tomorrow. in2Hc offers a one-stop-shop of medical facilities and support services, including access to medical and business expertise, so that physicians can focus on building their medical practice. We look forward to inspiring a generation of healthcare start-ups to further develop local healthcare capacity and support its sustainability.”

added Dr Olama.

Saeed Al Marri, Deputy CEO of Dubai SME, explained that Hi2 will support medical entrepreneurs through consultancy and role model projects in addition to forming an advisory committee with Al Jalila Foundation to guide in establishing their business.

“Our partnership marks a unique extension to the services being provided by the Hamdan Innovation Incubator to creative and innovative UAE nationals in the professional sector. In addition to consultancy and advisory services we will organize workshops aimed at raising awareness on the importance of medical services and the exchange of knowledge and statistics in the local healthcare sector.”

Al Jalila Foundation has invited qualified Emirati doctors to register in the Medical Innovation Center. More information is available on website https://www.aljalilafoundation.ae/what-we-do/in2hc/ or by e-mail from in2Hc@aljalilafoundation.ae

The fourth edition of the 7EmiratesRun kicked off today under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council. The run began at the Khalidiya Palace Rayhaan hotel by Rotana in Abu Dhabi, which organised a number of community fundraising activities leading up to the start of the cross-country event. The 575 kilometre, 12-day charity run is being held in honour of the 44th UAE National Day and will conclude in Dubai on 2 December 2015 and aims to raise AED 777 thousand to ‘get children back on their feet’ through prosthetic support.

Dr Abdulkareem Sultan Al Olama, CEO of Al Jalila Foundation, said:

“Over the next 12 days runners will demonstrate their endurance by traversing the seven Emirates. We thank them for their commitment and dedication as they use this exceptional sporting endeavour to raise funds for a greater good. This is a wonderful example of how the community can come together to positively impact people’s lives. Last year, we were able to help a number of children walk again with prosthetic support. This year, we hope to be able to extend that support to many more children in the UAE.”

Peter England, CEO of RAKBANK, said:

“We are pleased to be sponsoring the 7Emirates Run which is in line with the Bank’s commitments to supporting people with special needs and encouraging sports events especially for charitable causes. We look forward to working alongside Al Jalila Foundation in their endeavour to improve the lives of children in the UAE.”

This year, for the first time, runners with prosthetic limbs joined the 7EmiratesRun team at the start line. Among the amputee runners was German sprinter, Heinrich Popow, who won a gold medal in the 2012 Paralympics in London for the 100 metres sprint. Popow is the reigning World and European Champion in 100 metres sprint and reigning World Champion in long jump.

The 7EmiratesRun is endorsed by Dubai Sports Council and the title sponsor is RAKBANK. Other major sponsors include Dubai Healthcare City, EGA, German Limbtech and DBAJ.

To support 7EmiratesRun please visit www.7emiratesrun.com and https://www.hopasports.com/7er or call 800-ALJALILA.