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The UAE has many excellent schools, each with its own strengths – some leading in innovation and technology, others excelling in sports or performing arts. What truly sets the School of Research and Innovation (SRI) apart is that it brings the best of all these areas together under one roof, creating an unmatched learning environment.

As its name suggests, GEMS School of Research and Innovation is the region’s first future-ready school, where technology, industry partnerships, and innovation converge to equip the next generation with the tools to solve real-world challenges and shape meaningful opportunities.

“Within our enhanced British curriculum, we offer the Trailblazer, a programme where students explore their passions across sports, technology, performing arts, and academics. It provides them with time to engage in hands-on, career-related, and personal-interest projects, helping them discover what excites them and where their strengths lie,” Dino Varkey, Group CEO at GEMS Education, told Khaleej Times during an exclusive interview.

He said the Trailblazer enriches the academic programme by connecting learning to real-world experiences, while also fostering confidence, communication, and oracy skills through public speaking and debating.  “Students further have the opportunity to showcase their work through exhibitions and presentations to their peers and the wider school community,” he said.

Excerpts from the interview:

What inspired the creation of the School of Research and Innovation, and what specific needs in the education ecosystem was SRI designed to address?

The creation of the School of Research and Innovation (SRI) stems from a clear ambition to redefine what a school can and should be in a future shaped by technology, creativity, and rapid global transformation. With the UAE now home to one of the world’s most dynamic education landscapes and firmly positioned as a global hub for innovation, the country is entering a new chapter. Where the region once looked outward for human capital and ideas, it is now creating innovation from within, a shift that inspired us to envision a school cultivates a new era of untapped potential, self-reliance, and future-ready excellence.

SRI was designed in direct response to this moment. We wanted to create a school that does not just keep pace with the future but actively shapes it. While Dubai is home to many outstanding schools, we saw an opportunity to build something truly unique: a single campus where world-class facilities, cutting-edge technology, and industry-aligned learning environments coexist under one roof. A place where students can explore everything from AI and robotics to F1 engineering, esports, performing arts, research, and elite sports without needing to look beyond their school gates to pursue their passions.

In essence, SRI was conceived to meet a growing demand in Dubai’s education ecosystem for a school that empowers young people to succeed academically while thinking boldly, experimenting fearlessly, and engaging with the world. It’s a school built for the next generation of problem-solvers, a place where learning meets innovation, and innovation shapes the future.

Dino Varkey, Group CEO at GEMS Education

SRI has been described as Dubai’s most expensive school. How do you respond to such labels, and do they reflect the true value and intent behind the school?

SRI’s value proposition goes far beyond these labels. While the fees are above typical benchmarks, they reflect the unique opportunities we provide. Our students learn in university-grade labs, build mini Teslas, and code self-driving cars. They train with cognitive tools used by Manchester United and Cristiano Ronaldo’s coach and receive instruction from robotics specialists at Boston Dynamics and Kawasaki.

Through partnerships with leading international organisations and ambassadors for our sports and innovation programmes, students gain experience and expertise rarely seen in K-12 education. The investment in SRI translates directly into world-class learning and personal growth, making ‘expensive’ an inadequate word to describe the school’s true value.

School fees are often compared without context. From your perspective, what are the key components – talent, curriculum, infrastructure, innovation – that influence the cost of operating a school of SRI’s calibre?

The school’s cost reflects the comprehensive investment required to deliver a truly world-class education. This includes attracting and retaining exceptional faculty, including specialists from top global institutions. It also involves maintaining state-of-the-art facilities, such as university-grade labs, innovation studios, and sports complexes. In addition, it extends to continuously evolving our curriculum to integrate the latest in technology, research, and future-focused learning.

All these elements come together to create an environment where students are challenged, inspired, and prepared to navigate a rapidly changing world.

Looking beyond facilities and fees, what core philosophy drives SRI, and what do you want parents and the community to understand about the purpose behind its model?

SRI is guided by a simple principle: Learning should inspire curiosity, creativity, and meaningful action. Our goal is to give students the space and resources to explore their interests, take risks, and develop skills that will serve them well beyond the classroom. The purpose of our model is to create an environment where education is hands-on, connected to the real world, and designed to nurture confident, adaptable, and thoughtful individuals.

We want parents and the wider community to see that at SRI, along with achieving academic excellence, we focus on helping each child discover their overall potential, so that in the future, whether they choose university, a gap year, the workplace, or any other path, they step into it with full confidence in their capabilities.

SRI’s name places ‘Research and Innovation’ at the forefront. How are these principles embedded into daily learning, and how do they shape student outcomes?

Innovation is no longer a thing grown-ups do, it’s how children need to learn today. To prepare students for the real world, we must move beyond traditional learning methods, focusing on skills that are truly relevant.

Many skills that were essential in the past are already becoming redundant. The future will demand creativity, problem-solving, adaptability, and critical thinking, and these skills will be applied differently than they are today. Technology will play a central role, and it’s crucial that children are comfortable with it, knowing how to use it effectively to their advantage.

At SRI, we embed innovation into every aspect of learning, ensuring students develop future-ready skills while gaining the confidence to explore, experiment, and design solutions that matter.

How does SRI prepare students for Dubai’s future economy, from university pathways to emerging careers and entrepreneurship, in ways that go beyond traditional academic models?

We firmly believe that every child has unique strengths, many of which remain undiscovered when learning is confined to age groups or traditional curriculum structures. Children are often capable of far more than we assume, and it’s our responsibility to create an environment which allows that potential to surface. This is why we move beyond conventional teaching frameworks and offer students opportunities that are typically introduced much later in their academic journeys.

We see school as the place where career interests begin to form. When students are exposed to diverse fields early on, they gain a clearer understanding of their abilities, passions, and future possibilities. Our forward-looking approach ensures that by the time they enter university, they are not only academically prepared but also confident in who they are and the direction they want to pursue.