Arab nations are pouring billions into ambitious biotech-related programs, in a push to establish new sources of revenue for the region through biotherapeutics and clean energy. Abu Dhabi's Masdar Initiative aims to turn Masdar into a carbon-neutral city with a total $22 billion investment for the overall project. This includes a $250 million venture capital fund dedicated to R&D projects in clean tech, such as solar and biofuel technologies. Another Arab emirate, Qatar, is setting up the Sidra Medical and Research Center in Doha for translational research in biomedicine. Due to open in 2012, and at a cost of $2.7 billion to construct, Sidra will provide healthcare services, and also conduct research in core areas that affect Qatar's population, such as diabetes, genetic disorders, cardiovascular disease and obesity. Sidra is also forging international links with elite universities such as Harvard and Cambridge, UK. The nearby Qatar Science & Technology Park was set up in March 2009 as a free-trade zone that allows foreign-owned companies to operate free from tax. So far, it has attracted 21 global companies, which have committed $300 million. “In a small country it is better to have concentrations of laboratories, rather than a lab in every location,” says Tidu Maini, executive chairman.