The Sainsbury Laboratory (TSL), based in the UK, and the Khalifa Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (KCGEB), based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have entered into a strategic partnership aimed at advancing research in climate-resilient plant immunity and biotechnology. The collaboration combines TSL's expertise in plant-pathogen interactions with the Khalifa Center's research into desert plants, with an investment of £5 million from the Khalifa Center being used to foster research and collaboration on the topic. The partnership will also include scholarships for UAE University students to join TSL’s MSc in Global Plant Health, with a dedicated research program, named Xerophyte Immunity (XI), being formed to spearhead joint research initiatives focused on plant-pathogen interactions and crop improvement. The XI research program will explore novel aspects of plant immunity, with a particular emphasis on xerophytes, plants adapted to desert environments, and the microbes and pathogens associated with them.