Stay informed with the latest updates on UAE R&D tax credits and innovation funding.
Last reviewed: 23 September 2026 Pre-approval from the Emirates Research and Development Council is mandatory for every R&D Project on which the UAE R&D Tax Credit is claimed. The platform…
Policy Updates23 Sep 2026 · 11 min
Not every R&D cost qualifies. RDvault explains the four categories of UAE R&D tax qualifying expenditure, gateway conditions, and key exclusions. Official sources: Cabinet Decision No. 215 of 2025 and Ministerial Decision No. 24 of 2026. At a glance The UAE R&D tax credit rewards genuine innovation, but…
The short answer is yes, but with conditions Many founders and finance directors in UAE free zones assume they are automatically excluded from the UAE R&D Tax Credit. The position is commonly misunderstood, and it is costing businesses credits they are legitimately entitled to claim. Cabinet Decision No.…
Last updated: 4/10/2026 Official sources: Cabinet Decision No. 215 of 2025 and Ministerial Decision No. 24 of 2026. The UAE R&D tax incentives 2026 allow qualifying businesses to claim non-refundable credits of 15–50% on eligible R&D expenditure, worth up to AED 2 million per tax period. The UAE R&D…
Last updated: 4/10/2026 Official sources: Cabinet Decision No. 215 of 2025 and Ministerial Decision No. 24 of 2026. Ministerial Decision No. 24 of 2026 is the operational manual for the UAE R&D Tax Credit - covering pre-approval, qualifying expenditure, credit computation, and anti-abuse rules. Ministerial Decision No. 24 of…
The UAE R&D Tax Credit requires minimum staffing of 2, 6, or 14 R&D employees per tier. Miss the headcount and your credit rate drops. Here is how the rule works. The UAE R&D Tax Credit is not purely a spending-based incentive. Under Ministerial Decision No. 24 of 2026…
The UAE's R&D tax credit regime commenced on 1 January 2026, offering significant opportunities for startups and loss-making companies. The UAE's R&D tax credit regime came into force on 1 January 2026. As of April 2026, not a single company has filed a corporate tax return for the…
R&D tax credits are all we do. Built in Manchester in 2017, AED 396M+ (£80M+) processed in UK claims. Now claiming for the UAE.
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