The Board approved a roadmap for the remaining four months of 2026, focusing on strengthening the Group’s knowledge leadership.
Coinciding with its 12th anniversary, TRENDS Group held its third Board of Directors meeting, chaired by Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Ali, Chairman of the Board, with the participation of the Group’s board members, general managers, sector heads, and department managers.
The meeting marked an important milestone following TRENDS’ institutional transformation in 2026 from a specialized research center, established in 2014, into TRENDS Group, an integrated knowledge ecosystem comprising five companies: TRENDS Research & Advisory, TRENDS Global, TRENDS Barometer, TRENDS Observatory for the Study of Phenomena and Social Changes, and TRENDS Institute for Training.
The Board approved a strategic and executive roadmap for the remaining four months of 2026, focusing on strengthening the Group’s knowledge leadership, integrating its companies’ operations, expanding its regional and international presence, and maximizing the practical impact of its knowledge production.
Institutional Transformation and Integrated Capabilities
The transformation into TRENDS Group reflects the expanding scope and diversity of its work. From an institution primarily focused on research and studies, TRENDS has evolved into a multidisciplinary knowledge platform combining research, advisory services, training, public opinion polling, monitoring, analysis, and international cooperation.
The new structure is designed to integrate expertise, tools, and capabilities across the Group, reduce duplication, improve efficiency, and transform knowledge into practical solutions that support institutions, decision-makers, and societies.
The Board also announced three supporting councils. These include the Board of Trustees of TRENDS Group, established to strengthen governance and benefit from scientific, intellectual, and institutional expertise; the TRENDS Experts Council, operating within the Elite Experts Platform at TRENDS Institute for Training, which seeks to transform the professional experience of senior leaders and retirees into training and advisory solutions; and the Advisory Council for TRENDS Research & Advisory, aimed at enhancing the scientific and academic depth of TRENDS’ research output.
Empowering Youth and Investing in Human Capital
Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Ali emphasized that the next phase will focus not simply on increasing knowledge production, but on maximizing its impact and sustainability. He highlighted the importance of integrating expertise, investing in technology and human resources, expanding international partnerships, and transforming research, monitoring, measurement, and training outputs into applicable tools and solutions.
Youth empowerment and investment in researchers remain central to this vision. TRENDS considers human capital development essential to building sustainable knowledge capabilities and ensuring that researchers and experts can respond effectively to rapid global changes and anticipate future developments.
Among the initiatives supporting this approach is the Researchers of Tomorrow program, which trains young people and students in research, critical thinking, data analysis, digital monitoring, opinion polling, and foresight skills.
A Roadmap to Maximize Impact
The Board’s roadmap focuses on strengthening integration among the Group’s five companies and establishing unified visions, objectives, and cooperation mechanisms. The plan seeks to move Trends from a phase centered on capacity building and knowledge production to one focused on impact, sustainability, innovation, and practical application.
Key priorities include accelerating high-quality research projects, expanding advisory and training services, strengthening academic and international partnerships, and developing advanced measurement, monitoring, and analytical tools.
Artificial intelligence will be a major component of this transformation. TRENDS recognizes AI as a cross-cutting force affecting the economy, politics, security, education, knowledge production, and decision-making. Accordingly, the Group plans to mainstream AI across research, analysis, foresight, digital monitoring, indicators, and measurement, while equipping researchers and employees with the skills needed to use these technologies efficiently and responsibly.
Twelve Years of Research and Knowledge Production
Over the past 12 years, TRENDS has built a substantial body of academic and research output. Its achievements include 1,688 special reports and studies, 1,183 research papers, and 1,143 articles and studies published in external sources. The institution has also produced more than 500 scientific publications, including original and translated works, as well as 14 studies in its Muslim Brotherhood encyclopedia series.
Its academic series have reached 183, including 57 Strategic TRENDS, 23 Economic TRENDS, 60 Policy Papers, and 27 studies on political Islam, alongside specialized series addressing artificial intelligence and future issues.
The research agenda has expanded considerably to cover security and stability, geopolitics, economics, extremism and terrorism, social transformations, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, trade corridors, water, sustainable development, and other issues shaping the future of the region and the world.
Expanding International Presence
TRENDS’ international engagement has grown significantly through participation in global exhibitions, conferences, forums, and academic and research initiatives. The institution has participated in 58 book fairs worldwide and established more than 258 research and academic partnerships with universities, think tanks, research institutions, and international organizations.
It has also organized 239 regional and international research events, 63 podcast episodes, more than 81 specialized training courses, 82 public opinion polls, 63 advisory studies, and 225 events. TRENDS has also engaged with 12 international parliaments.
During the past three years alone, TRENDS participated in 238 conferences and seminars, 225 discussion panels, 258 lectures, and more than 143 media events, demonstrating the breadth of its international research and communication network.
TRENDS Global: From International Presence to Global Reach
TRENDS Global, the Group’s international arm, is central to the new phase. With 29 offices worldwide, it aims to strengthen international partnerships and expand cooperation with universities, think tanks, research institutions, and international organizations. The Group is also working to establish new strategic offices, activate existing partnerships, and develop joint projects, particularly in advanced technology, artificial intelligence, governance, and future studies.
Public Opinion, Social Analysis, and Training
As part of the Group’s integrated model, TRENDS Barometer continues to develop public opinion polling and trend-measurement tools, including AI and big-data analysis to improve research efficiency and sample accuracy. It is also preparing to launch OPINXT, a specialized public opinion polling platform.
Meanwhile, the TRENDS Observatory for the Study of Phenomena and Social Changes is expanding its monitoring and analysis of social phenomena and developing new measurement methodologies using digital technologies and AI. Its knowledge output also includes the Societal Dimensions journal, which examines social, cultural, and economic transformations.
The TRENDS Institute for Training is developing specialized programs in AI, strategic communication, research, and future studies. It is also developing a digital training platform that can customize programs to meet the needs of individuals and institutions, while expanding partnerships with universities and international training organizations.
From 2014 to 2026: Building Toward the Future
Twelve years after its establishment, Trends has evolved from a specialized research center into a multidisciplinary knowledge group combining research, advisory services, training, monitoring, public opinion polling, analysis, measurement, and foresight.
The transformation reflects a broader ambition: to move from producing knowledge to maximizing its impact, while strengthening governance, expertise, technological capabilities, international partnerships, and human capital.
The 12th anniversary therefore represents not only a celebration of past achievements, but also the beginning of a new institutional phase. From Abu Dhabi, TRENDS Group is positioning itself as an Emirati knowledge institution with a global outlook — one that seeks to transform data into knowledge, knowledge into ideas, and ideas into impact, placing people, science, innovation, and foresight at the heart of its journey toward the future.
