Media Release
Ajman (UAE), June 10: Thumbay Group has marked a major milestone in its commitment to advancing medical research and innovation with the groundbreaking of the Thumbay International Research Centre, a purpose-built six-storey facility in Al Jurf, Ajman, designed to bring scientific discovery, diagnostics and clinical care under one roof.
The groundbreaking ceremony was held today at Dusit Ajman Resort & Villas under the patronage of H H Sheikh Ammar bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, crown prince of Ajman and chairman of the Ajman Executive Council. The event was hosted by Dr Thumbay Moideen, founder president of Thumbay Group.
Spread across approximately 3,000 square metres (32,283 sq ft), the research centre will comprise a ground floor, five upper levels and a rooftop, rising to a height of 27.75 metres on Plot 7150 in Al Jurf. Located within an established healthcare and academic ecosystem, the facility is designed to enable close collaboration between researchers, clinicians and healthcare innovators from the outset.
The centre has been planned to support the full spectrum of research activities. The first floor will house start-up laboratories, an incubation centre and an advanced AR/VR laboratory. General wet laboratories will occupy the second floor, while the third floor will focus on experimental oncology research.
The fourth floor will be dedicated to genomics, next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics. A comprehensive preclinical research floor featuring animal facilities and a dedicated zebrafish research unit will be located on the fifth floor. The ground floor will include a 110-seat seminar hall and a shared imaging core facility.
The Thumbay International Research Centre will serve as the permanent home of Gulf Medical University's research enterprise, supporting faculty members, researchers and students across its colleges of Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Health Sciences, Nursing, Veterinary Medicine and AI in Healthcare. The facility will be anchored by the Thumbay Research Institute for Precision Medicine (TRIPM), which currently operates within existing university facilities.
The centre will also bring together health-tech entrepreneurs from the GMU Start-up Lab and the Thumbay Institute for AI in healthcare with doctoral researchers, genomics specialists and clinical teams, creating a collaborative innovation ecosystem rarely seen in the region.
Dr Thumbay Moideen, founder president of Thumbay Group, said: "For the past three decades, we have invested in building hospitals, healthcare services and a world-class private medical university in the Gulf. This research centre represents the next chapter of that journey. Our vision was to bring discovery, diagnosis and treatment together."
Prof Manda Venkatramana, chancellor of Gulf Medical University, said: "The strength of a medical university is measured not only by the degrees it awards but also by the quality and impact of its research. This facility provides our faculty and students with the infrastructure needed to conduct internationally competitive research and positions Gulf Medical University firmly on the path towards becoming a leading research-intensive institution. Today, that vision takes a significant step forward."
Prof Salem Chouaib, director of TRIPM, said: "The new centre removes many of the limitations that have constrained our ambitions. It provides dedicated infrastructure for immunotherapy combination studies, advanced genomics and liquid biopsy research, and preclinical investigations supported by a fully operational zebrafish platform. Initiatives such as the region's first liquid biopsy programme and our diabetes-cancer genetics collaboration with RCDR can now move from concept to implementation."
The ceremony also marked the launch of the second cycle of the Thumbay International Research Grant, under which AED 3 million has been awarded to 13 research projects led by investigators from institutions in 26 countries, each collaborating with a Gulf Medical University researcher.
The projects span precision oncology, drug discovery, cochlear implant research, artificial intelligence in medical education and veterinary diabetes, among other fields.
Thumbay Group also highlighted its growing network of international collaborations with leading institutions, including Harvard Medical School, Baylor University, Washington University and the University of Arizona in the United States; the University of Waterloo in Canada; Policlinico Hospital in Italy; Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands; Regensburg University, Hannover Medical School and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin in Germany; and Lublin University in Poland. The group also announced that the third cycle of the research grant programme will be launched soon.
In another highlight of the event, Gulf Medical University conferred honorary doctorates on K E Faizal, founder and chairman of KEF Holdings and the Faizal & Shabana Foundation, and Mohammed Meeran, founder and chairman of Electric Way, in recognition of their contributions to industry, philanthropy and community development.
Upon completion, the Thumbay International Research Centre will support several flagship initiatives, including the PhD in Precision Medicine programme, the Future Scientists of the UAE outreach initiative, the annual GMU Research Day and an expanding portfolio of international research collaborations led by TRIPM.
The centre will also be integrated with Gulf Medical University's broader research ecosystem, including the Thumbay Institute of Population Health, the Thumbay Institute for AI in Healthcare, the Thumbay Institute of Clinical Simulation and Thumbay Labs, whose diagnostic services will support the centre's genomics and precision medicine programmes.