The new Centre of Excellence with SCC Middle East brings skills development, technology testing and startup incubation into the UAE's wider push to strengthen its cyber capabilities. 

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Abu Dhabi's growing technology agenda is creating a more immediate challenge for the UAE's cybersecurity community: building enough local expertise to secure the systems being deployed across the economy. The UAE Cyber Security Council and SCC Middle East plan to develop a Centre of Excellence for Cyber Resilience and Trusted Technology, bringing government, enterprises, technology partners and specialists together to work on emerging technologies and test how they perform in practical environments. 

Announced at AI Everything Abu Dhabi on October 6, the initiative comes as the UAE expands its use of AI alongside cloud infrastructure and other digital services. Security is increasingly being considered as part of those deployments rather than something addressed after systems have already been built. The center's first phase will cover executive learning, practical labs and specialist development across AI, cloud, data, cybersecurity and critical national infrastructure, followed by startup incubation and a program intended to connect selected UAE-developed technologies with international customers and commercial ecosystems. 

Connecting those stages gives the initiative a wider role than a conventional training program. Skills development sits alongside product testing and the potential commercialization of locally developed cybersecurity technologies. The approach also builds on the Cyber Security Council's existing Centre of Excellence framework, which has recently brought other technology companies into national capability-building programs. 

A broader push to develop cyber capability 

Earlier this month, Veeam joined the framework through a partnership covering cybersecurity training, technical workshops, recovery exercises and data governance. Participants will have access to training and simulation environments alongside work on recovery preparedness, adding practical resilience capabilities to the Council's wider cybersecurity efforts. 

AI is becoming another important part of the country's cybersecurity work. As government and businesses deploy more AI systems, security teams are dealing with new risks around software, data and increasingly automated systems. On October 1, Microsoft announced plans with the Cyber Security Council and Core42 to bring its MDASH system for identifying software vulnerabilities to UAE government entities. The rollout will begin with pilots, workshops and onboarding, with the system running on Core42's sovereign cloud and being assessed through the Council's National AI Test and Validation Lab. 

Access to practical environments can be difficult for young cybersecurity companies to secure on their own. A product that works in development still needs to be tested against the systems, requirements and operating conditions of the organizations expected to use it. An environment where startups can work with prospective users could give them earlier exposure to those requirements and help shape products around actual deployment needs. 

The UAE has been moving in this direction through other programs as well. The Cyber Security Council and CPX Holding announced the UAE Cyber Factory earlier this year, with a focus on developing cybersecurity capabilities and talent in the country. Adding an incubator and testing environment to the Centre of Excellence extends that effort into the development and validation of locally built technologies. 

“There is no shortage of technology available today. The harder question is how you bring the right technologies together; prove they work for the environment you are putting them into and then turn that into a real outcome. That is what we want this Centre to be about. Not a showroom, but somewhere we can bring customers, partners and specialists together around real problems, test ideas and build solutions that can actually be deployed. Our role at SCC is to connect those pieces. We start with what the customer is trying to achieve, bring together the right people, technology and expertise, and remain accountable for making it work.” said Daniel Valle, CEO of SCC Middle East 

The international component could become particularly relevant if the center succeeds in helping startups move beyond early-stage development. Connecting selected UAE-developed technologies with customers and technology ecosystems outside the country would give companies an opportunity to build on local testing and validation, although competing in established international cybersecurity markets will require products that can meet demanding technical and commercial requirements. 

“The UAE has set ambitious goals around artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and the development of a secure and resilient digital economy. The Centre of Excellence will create an environment for government, industry and technology partners to turn that ambition into practical capability.” said H.E. Dr. Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cyber Security for the UAE Government 

What happens inside the center will ultimately matter more than the announcement itself. Technologies that make it through testing, startups that find customers and specialists who gain experience across different parts of the cyber ecosystem would give the program a tangible role in the UAE's technology sector. As AI and digital infrastructure continue to expand, developing cybersecurity capability alongside those systems will remain an important part of the country's broader technology ambitions. 

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