Abu Dhabi: H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has attended the opening ceremony of the 8th edition of RoboCup Asia-Pacific (RCAP 2025), organised by Khalifa University of Science and Technology. The event will run until 15th November 2025.

Held as part of the inaugural edition of Abu Dhabi Autonomous Week, RCAP 2025 is being hosted for the first time in the MENA Region under the theme 'Artificial Intelligence and Robotics for a Sustainable Future'.

The event features more than 170 teams and in excess of 700 participants, including 22 teams from Singapore with a strong contingent of 61 students and 55 officials, Egypt with 18, Russia with 18 teams, China with 10, and with the UAE fielding 12 teams of 44 students.

H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan toured several competition areas and reviewed cutting-edge robotics projects showcased by student teams from various countries participating in both the main and sub-challenges.

H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Mohamed emphasised that investing in artificial intelligence, robotics technologies and autonomous intelligent systems will serve as a fundamental pillar in the journey of future development, noting that nurturing young talent and promoting research and development contributes to strengthening Abu Dhabi’s position both as a global platform for supporting the innovation ecosystem and a destination for attracting future industrial sectors, in alignment with the emirate’s vision of building a knowledge-based economy driven by advanced science and technology.

A project-oriented educational initiative, RoboCupJunior sponsors local, regional and international robotic events for young students and will have Soccer, OnStage and Rescue leagues.

RCAP 2025 features eight main competitions and 15 sub-challenges, covering Soccer, OnStage and Rescue leagues. RoboCup Soccer will include four challenges covering Standard Platform, Humanoid, Simulation 2D and RoboCupJunior leagues.

Professor Ebrahim Al Hajri, President of Khalifa University, said, “Hosting RCAP 2025 in Abu Dhabi marks a major milestone for Khalifa University, the UAE and regional robotics ecosystem, highlighting Abu Dhabi's role as a regional centre for advanced robotics and AI research. This aligns with Abu Dhabi's vision to become a leader in technology and innovation, and the UAE Vision 2031, showcasing how AI and robotics can transform industries.

“The event will also generate more interest in STEM-related subject areas for the students while creating fresh talent suitable for future leadership. Additionally, such major events help in attracting top global talent in AI and robotics to Abu Dhabi and the UAE.”

Alya Al Hosani, Executive Director, Community Affairs, Mubadala Investment Company, said, “Mubadala is proud to support RoboCup Asia-Pacific 2025, a distinguished platform that underscores the UAE’s leadership in innovation and technology. Our commitment to advancing youth engagement in STEM education and fostering innovation in fields such as robotics reflects our dedication to nurturing the next generation of talent that will continue to advance the UAE as a knowledge-based economy.”

Dr Hamad Karaki, General Chairman of RCAP 2025, said, “The number of participating teams and the diversity of competitions strongly reflect Abu Dhabi’s ability to attract the top-tier technology experts to compete through the latest AI technologies."

He added, "RCAP 2025 aims to strengthen, and nurture the UAE’s robotics ecosystem following the initiatives to create an AI-powered government, that includes 100 per cent digitisation of processes, and the deployment of more than 200 AI solutions. Such efforts have positioned the UAE as a global magnet for the top technology leaders participating in RCAP 2025.”