Future Health Launches Global Challenge to Move Health Innovation Towards Real-world Application

Future Health – A Global Initiative by Abu Dhabi opened applications for the Future Health Digital Innovation Challenge 2026, welcoming innovators from around the world to develop AI, software, and connected technology solutions that can help people and health systems understand health needs earlier and act sooner.

Selected teams will gain access to technical and clinical expertise across Abu Dhabi’s health and innovation ecosystem, alongside structured support to refine their solutions, test assumptions and develop working prototypes, helping them turn promising ideas into real-world impact faster. Selected solutions may also have the opportunity to progress to further validation, incubation, piloting and scale. As part of the programme, three finalists will progress to an awards ceremony at GITEX 2026 and share a total prize pool of USD 105,000. The winning team will receive USD 50,000, and two finalists will receive USD 35,000 and USD 20,000 respectively.

Digital technologies are creating new possibilities to both help people understand their own health, and how health systems can best respond to emerging needs and opportunities. The World Bank estimates that people-centred and evidence-based digital investments could help governments save up to 15% of health costs¹, highlighting the potential for technology to improve health outcomes while making better use of resources. With strong clinical capabilities, connected health information, and technology expertise, Abu Dhabi provides a trusted environment where this potential can be translated into practical solutions, connecting global innovation with real health needs and pathways towards implementation.

The Challenge will apply this thinking across three areas - fertility, population health, and wellbeing - with participating teams invited to develop solutions within one of the Challenge focus areas:

• Fertility: Exploring how technology can support earlier understanding of reproductive health and potential, helping individuals and clinicians make more informed decisions and navigate fertility care.
• Population Health: Exploring how data and technology can help identify emerging health risks, strengthen prevention and screening, and support timely action across communities and populations.
• Wellbeing: Exploring how technology can help people understand changes in their health and wellbeing, sustain healthier behaviours, and access more personalised support over time.

The three areas reflect work already advancing across Abu Dhabi in reproductive health, population health, and healthy living, providing a real-world context for solutions developed through the Challenge.

H.E. Dr Noura Khamis Al Ghaithi, Undersecretary at the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, said: “Digital innovation is giving us new ways to understand health risks and needs earlier. The opportunity now is to turn that intelligence into action that improves people’s health and supports more proactive and personalised models of care.

“Abu Dhabi is creating an environment where innovators can develop solutions around pressing health needs, supported by strong clinical capabilities, connected health information and advanced technology expertise. Through the Future Health Digital Innovation Challenge 2026, we are inviting global talent to bring forward promising ideas and work with our ecosystem to move them closer to practical action. The solutions developed through this Challenge have the potential to support better health outcomes in Abu Dhabi while generating technologies and knowledge that can contribute to better health systems globally”, she added.

The Future Health Digital Innovation Challenge is open to applicants worldwide, welcoming start-ups, researchers, developers, clinicians, students and entrepreneurs to apply individually or as multidisciplinary teams. Applications may include new concepts, early-stage prototypes, or existing solutions that can be adapted to address one of the three Challenge areas.

Selected participants will join a structured development programme and receive technical and clinical guidance from experts across Abu Dhabi’s health and innovation ecosystem. The programme will help teams refine their solutions, test their assumptions and develop working prototypes or demonstrable technologies. Beyond the competition, selected solutions may also be considered for further validation and potential pathways towards incubation, piloting, and scale, creating opportunities for continued development following the programme.

Co-created with MBZUAI, Inception42, and Microsoft, the Challenge will connect participants with expertise in artificial intelligence, technology development and solution-building, alongside clinical and health-system perspectives from Abu Dhabi’s health ecosystem.

Future Health – A Global Initiative by Abu Dhabi is a year-round platform for global collaboration and transformative health innovation. Future Health – A Global Initiative by Abu Dhabi is a year-round platform for global collaboration and transformative health innovation. Its 2026 theme, ‘To Sense is to Predict’, explores how better understanding of health signals can support earlier, more informed action, bringing together global expertise to advance solutions with measurable health impact.

Innovators who are developing solutions using AI, software and connected technologies are invited to apply by 15^th November 2026. Full eligibility criteria, programme details and information on how to apply are available at Future Health Digital Innovation Challenge | Hack2skill.

About Future Health – A Global Initiative by Abu Dhabi

Future Health is a year-round platform for global collaboration and transformative health innovation, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council.

Bringing together health researchers, policymakers, business leaders, investors and entrepreneurs from across disciplines and geographies, Future Health drives collective action to strengthen health systems and unlock longer, healthier lives for all.

Through a year-round programme of research insights, publications, impact initiatives, Challenges, R&D funding, and cross-sector convenings, Future Health advances progress across four focus areas: longevity and precision medicine, health systems and sustainability, digital health and AI, and investment in life sciences.

Future Health is curated and convened by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi and its Founding Partners PureHealth, M42, Institute for Healthier Living Abu Dhabi, and Mubadala Bio. Mediclinic Middle East serves as Strategic Partner and Burjeel Holdings as Associate Partner.

For more information, visit www.futurehealthinitiative.ae⁠ and follow Future Health on: X, Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook.

About the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH):

The DoH is the regulatory body of the healthcare sector at the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and ensures excellence in healthcare by monitoring the health status of the population. DoH defines the strategy for the health system, monitors and analyses the health status of the population and performance of the system. In addition, DoH shapes the regulatory framework for the health system, inspects against regulations, enforces standards, and encourages adoption of world-class best practices and performance targets by all healthcare service providers in the Emirate. DoH also drives programmes to increase awareness and adoption of healthy living standards among the residents of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in addition to regulating scope of services, premiums and reimbursement rates of the health system.

For further information on DOH, visit https://www.doh.gov.ae/ and follow on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.

¹ World Bank, Digital-in-Health: Unlocking the Value for Everyone, World Bank, 2023

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