Pennsylvania-U.A.E. Global Investor Day Advances Economic Partnerships
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(L to R) Senior Commercial Specialist at the U.A.E. Embassy in Washington, D.C. Reem Ramadan; President of the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council Danny Sebright;  U.A.E. Commercial Attaché to the U.S. Jawaher Almheiri; PA Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Secretary Rick Siger; Chief Transformation and Opportunity Officer for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Ben Krishner; Executive Director of the Trade & Investment Office at the U.A.E. Embassy in Washington, D.C. Karim Gamal; DP World VP of Government Relations and Public Affairs Nick Geale; Emirates VP USA Matthew Jones

“That combination of a real hunger to win business, doing the hard work to invest and create a framework to make it easier to do business, and the raw materials we have, not just our energy, but our incredible universities and people, we think makes Pennsylvania a really great place.” – PA Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Secretary Rick Siger

On August 24, 2026, the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council supported the Pennsylvania-U.A.E. Global Investor Day in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, convening senior U.A.E. officials, and members of the administration of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. Hosted in partnership with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the program highlighted Pennsylvania’s and particularly Philadelphia’s economic strengths, the U.A.E.’s economic priorities, and opportunities to expand U.A.E.-Pennsylvania investment, commercial partnerships, and institutional ties. 

The engagement comes at a time of significant economic momentum in Pennsylvania. During the program, representatives of the Shapiro Administration outlined the Commonwealth’s strategy to strengthen its competitiveness for investment, with a particular focus on life sciences, energy, advanced manufacturing, and technology. Pennsylvania added more jobs in 2025 than all but two states, and the Commonwealth has pursued reforms intended to make it faster and easier for companies to establish and expand operations. The Administration noted that more than $40 billion in economic development activity has been undertaken in Pennsylvania over the past three years.

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) also participated in the day’s meetings, building on its longstanding partnership with the U.A.E., including the recent completion of a new year-round soccer field at Conestoga Park in West Philadelphia through a joint contribution from the U.A.E. Embassy and CHOP.

The U.A.E. delegation, led by Jawaher Almheiri, U.A.E. Commercial Attaché to the United States, and Karim Gamal, Executive Director of the Trade & Investment Office at the U.A.E. Embassy in Washington, D.C., briefed Pennsylvania officials on key business trends in the U.A.E. as well as the U.A.E.’s growing investment in the United States and its strategy for building deeper commercial partnerships with American companies. The discussion highlighted the U.A.E.’s 10-year commitment to investing up to $1.4 trillion in the United States, with significant investment focused on areas including energy, artificial intelligence, technology, and life sciences. The delegation also highlighted the U.A.E.’s role as a platform for U.S. companies seeking to expand into international markets. The U.A.E. delegation explained how the U.A.E. Embassy and its commercial team work with U.S. companies interested in exporting to the U.A.E., helping businesses navigate the market and identify opportunities for commercial partnerships and investment. 

The day’s discussions highlighted several areas of particular relevance to U.A.E. investors and companies:

  • Ease of Business: Pennsylvania has significantly streamlined its permitting and approval process making it significantly easier and faster to move forward with new business enterprises and expansions. 
  • Life Sciences and Biotechnology: Pennsylvania has more than 3,000 life sciences establishments, with approximately 60 percent consisting of small businesses and startups. The Commonwealth is also among the leading states for National Institutes of Health funding, clinical trials, patents, and commercialization activity.
  • The Shapiro Administration has allocated $125 million in the state budget toward initiatives intended to further strengthen Pennsylvania’s life sciences and innovation ecosystem.
  • Energy, Advanced Manufacturing, and Innovation: Pennsylvania officials highlighted its strengths across energy production and infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, robotics, artificial intelligence, and other emerging technologies. 
  • The Commonwealth’s research universities, including the University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Pittsburgh, provide a significant research and talent base for these sectors. Officials also discussed opportunities associated with nuclear energy, fusion, nuclear medicine, and the manufacturing supply chains supporting emerging energy technologies.
  • Strategic Investment and Redevelopment: The delegation visited major redevelopment sites demonstrating Pennsylvania’s approach to converting complex legacy industrial properties into platforms for new investment. 
  • At the HRP Group site in the Bellwether District, attendees learned about the redevelopment of approximately 1,300 acres of former industrial land between Philadelphia International Airport and Center City. HRP described its strategy of remediating and repositioning legacy industrial properties for manufacturing, innovation, and other new uses, with the Philadelphia site already attracting significant investment.
  • U.A.E.-Pennsylvania Investment Opportunities: Discussions underscored the potential for greater U.A.E. investment across Pennsylvania’s high-growth sectors, while highlighting opportunities for Pennsylvania companies and institutions to access the U.A.E.’s capital, healthcare infrastructure, innovation ecosystem, and regional connectivity.
Sr. Vice President, State Policy & Public Affairs Kurt Imhoff briefed on Pennsylvania’s life sciences ecosystem, highlighting the state’s strengths, key industry clusters, and opportunities for future U.S.-U.A.E. collaboration.

Philadelphia Navy Yard and Life Sciences Engagement

The delegation then traveled to the Philadelphia Navy Yard for lunch with Ensemble/Mosaic and an overview of the Navy Yard’s development and economic significance. The afternoon focused on Pennsylvania’s life sciences ecosystem, including a tour of Iovance Biotherapeutics and a roundtable discussion with senior life sciences leaders from across the Commonwealth. The conversation also focused on the U.A.E.’s growing life sciences ecosystem. 

Key areas of discussion included:

  • Life Sciences Investment and Venture Capital: Participants discussed opportunities for U.A.E. investors to access Pennsylvania’s life sciences ecosystem through investments, venture capital funds, and partnerships with universities and research institutions. Osage University Partners, a Philadelphia-area venture capital firm, highlighted more than $800 million raised across four flagship funds and more than 150 academic relationships globally. The firm is also preparing a new fund focused on creating biotechnology companies from academic research.
  • University Commercialization and Startup Formation: The discussion highlighted the depth of Pennsylvania’s university-driven innovation pipeline and the opportunity to translate academic research into new companies, technologies, and therapies. Representatives of the Pennsylvania life sciences industry also emphasized the opportunity to retain more life sciences entrepreneurs and executives in Philadelphia, where lower operating and laboratory costs, and proximity to leading research institutions provide advantages over established U.S. life science hubs such as Boston and San Francisco.
  • Clinical Trials and Healthcare Collaboration: U.A.E. and Pennsylvania stakeholders discussed the rapid expansion of the U.A.E.’s clinical trial infrastructure and opportunities for Pennsylvania-based pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to conduct trials in the U.A.E. U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council President Danny Sebright noted that the number of clinical trials underway in the U.A.E. has grown substantially over the past several years, with additional expansion expected. The U.A.E. delegation also highlighted the country’s growing AI integration into the life sciences, network of hospitals, and clinical research infrastructure.
  • Pharmaceutical Manufacturing and Commercialization: The discussion highlighted the U.A.E.’s efforts to build a more complete life sciences ecosystem, including distribution, manufacturing, clinical trials, and drug discovery. Participants noted that major pharmaceutical companies are increasingly exploring manufacturing and other partnerships in the U.A.E., creating potential pathways for U.S. companies to expand into the U.A.E. and broader regional markets.
  • AI, Genomics, and Drug Discovery: U.A.E. representatives emphasized the country’s focus on combining artificial intelligence with healthcare and biotechnology. The discussion highlighted the development of M42 and the U.A.E.’s genomic and AI capabilities, including efforts to integrate genomic data with AI to support research, clinical care, and drug discovery. Participants identified AI-enabled healthcare, biotechnology, and advanced medical technologies as priority areas for future U.S.-U.A.E. collaboration.
  • Regional Market Access: The U.A.E. delegation discussed the U.A.E.’s potential role as a platform for U.S. life sciences companies seeking to expand into markets across the Gulf, Africa, South Asia, and other regions. The U.A.E.’s healthcare infrastructure, logistics capabilities, and connectivity were highlighted as potential advantages for pharmaceutical distribution, manufacturing, and clinical research.


Looking Ahead: Future PA-U.A.E. Engagement and U.S.–U.A.E. Business Council Healthcare and Life Sciences Programming
 

  • The U.A.E. will continue its engagement with Pennsylvania through a series of future activities, including planned engagements in Pittsburgh, further strengthening ties, and identifying new opportunities for investment and collaboration.
  • Meanwhile in the U.A.E., the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council is planning programming around the Abu Dhabi Future Health Summit (ADFHS), taking place October 20–22, 2026, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. The Summit will convene leaders from government, science, technology, policy, and investment around four impact areas: longevity and precision medicine; health system resilience and sustainability; digital health and AI; and investment in life sciences.
  • U.S.–U.A.E. Healthcare Engagement: The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council will support the Summit through a joint welcome reception with AmCham Abu Dhabi on October 19 at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, featuring keynote remarks from H.E. Dr. Noura Al Ghaithi, Undersecretary of the Department of Health Abu Dhabi. The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council will also convene two panel discussions on advancing precision medicine and healthy longevity and building resilient health systems, providing additional opportunities for U.S. and U.A.E. healthcare leaders to identify areas for collaboration. 


For more information about doing business in Pennsylvania, please visit the Pennsylvania “Gets It Done” website.

For more information about doing business in the U.A.E., please visit the U.A.E. Embassy Trade Office website and UAE Preferred.

For more information about the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council’s collaboration with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, please contact Matthew Gardell at mgardell@usuaebusiness.org.