Majid Al Futtaim joins MIT Center for Real Estate as a strategic partner

Majid Al Futtaim has joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Center for Real Estate (MIT/CRE) as a strategic partner.

The shopping malls, communities, retail and leisure company will join the worldwide network of 1,300 MIT Center alumni, researchers, affiliates and 30 strategic industry partners.

MIT/CRE is one of the world’s leading institutes offering an interdisciplinary platform for the study of real estate and its related practices. It brings together professors and researchers in urban design and planning, urban and environmental economics, sustainability and climate technology (climatech), digital innovation and property technology (proptech), real estate financing and investment, project delivery, artificial intelligence/ machine learning and data science, among other areas linked to the global real estate industry.

The partnership will see Majid Al Futtaim and MIT/CRE to collaborate on in-depth research in areas of common interest, as well as provide development opportunities for Majid Al Futtaim professionals, along with industry resources for MIT faculty and students to apply innovative concepts and solutions to real world environments.

“As the first real estate developer from the MENA region to join the MIT Center for Real Estate as a strategic partner, Majid Al Futtaim – Properties is excited to work with the distinguished professors and students of MIT, one of the world’s most prestigious academic institutions. At the same time, we are delighted to bring our own expertise in pioneering the region’s most exciting destinations to the table, as well as our ambitions and plans to reinvent many of these experiences,” said Ahmed Galal Ismail, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim – Properties, explaining the importance of the partnership.

Professor Kairos Shen, executive director of the MIT Center for Real Estate, commented, “The MIT Center for Real Estate sits at the intersection of technology, innovation, and the built environment. We bring together some of the world’s leading thinkers in various disciplines, which guides our holistic approach to better understanding how the real estate industry currently operates and how it continues to evolve.

“Importantly, we work with leading real estate firms like Majid Al Futtaim to put theory into to practice and help better understand some of the most pressing issues of the day, such as the digital transformation, responding to urban growth, sustainability and resiliency and consumer trends.”