YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep. 21, 2026

His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and Humanitarian Envoy of The Big Heart Foundation (TBHF), has announced the establishment of the Jawaher Al Qasimi Humanitarian Innovation Centre at Universitas Gadjah Mada in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, with total funding of $1.6 million.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260921973479/en/

Sultan bin Ahmed announces establishment of Jawaher Al Qasimi Humanitarian Innovation Centre in Indonesia with $1.6m funding (Photo: AETOSWire)

The centre will connect academic research and innovation with humanitarian field expertise to develop, test, and implement practical responses to humanitarian challenges.

It is being established through a partnership between TBHF, NAMA Women Advancement Establishment (NAMA) and Universitas Gadjah Mada. TBHF will contribute $1 million, NAMA $500,000 and the university $100,000.

The announcement came during a visit to Indonesia by a TBHF delegation led by Sheikh Sultan, as part of the foundation’s efforts to expand its humanitarian and development partnerships.

Sheikh Sultan said the true value of knowledge was realised when it was used beyond academic institutions to serve people and address their needs.

He said investment in people, education and culture was central to Sharjah’s development under the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, and the humanitarian work led by his wife, Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Sharjah Family and Community Council.

The centre will use research to address challenges ranging from food security and climate change to livelihoods, economic opportunities, disaster risk reduction, and maternal and child wellbeing, particularly in communities with limited access to services and opportunities.

The agreement includes an investment endowment fund to provide long-term financing for the centre’s programmes.

The centre will work across four areas. These cover multidisciplinary research, policy studies and researcher residencies, innovation challenges and humanitarian project incubators, the development and field testing of solutions and assessment of their impact, and public engagement through community discussions, forums, youth leadership programmes, awareness initiatives, social projects and economic empowerment.

It will operate through two facilities at Universitas Gadjah Mada. The first will serve as its main base for research, collaboration, and community events.

The second, known as the “Living Humanitarian Lab”, will occupy about two hectares allocated by the university for agricultural innovation, field trials and community participation, supporting food security, sustainable agriculture and community empowerment.

The centre is expected to become a platform for humanitarian knowledge and innovation across Southeast Asia and other regions.

In Bali, Sheikh Sultan reviewed services for people with disabilities at the Annika Linden Centre, education and family empowerment programmes at Bali Life Foundation, and family care and child protection programmes run by SOS Children’s Villages Indonesia.

In Central Java, Sheikh Sultan and the TBHF delegation visited a coffee farm supported by NAMA under a programme that aims to equip about 2,800 women with the skills and knowledge needed to participate in coffee farming.

In Yogyakarta, he visited Universitas Gadjah Mada and the site of the centre. The visit concluded in Gunung Kidul, where Sheikh Sultan reviewed the “Home for a Home” initiative, launched by Arada in partnership with TBHF and implemented by Habitat for Humanity Indonesia.

The initiative plans to build 250 homes, adapt 50 others for people with disabilities and provide clean-water infrastructure, benefiting more than 3,700 people.

The visit forms part of TBHF’s efforts to expand partnerships across South and Southeast Asia and draw on local expertise to develop initiatives that respond to community needs.

*Source: AETOSWire

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260921973479/en/

Contact:

Hussain Al Mulla
Hussain.AlMulla@SGMB.ae