emirates7 - "Future Health – A Global Initiative by Abu Dhabi" has announced the launch of the "Future Health Challenge: Building Anticipatory Health Systems through Population Sensing", in collaboration with MIT Solve.
Delivered as a rapid-cycle innovation challenge, selected innovators will be invited to the Abu Dhabi Future Health Summit from 7th to 9th April 2026, where semi-finalists will pitch their solutions live to a jury of experts and the Future Health Summit audience.
Finalists will advance to a subsequent pitch event to determine the overall winner. The winner will receive the US$200,000 grand prize, with two runner-up prizes of US$50,000 each.
In addition, 5 - 10 ‘honourable mention’ team leads will be invited to attend the Future Health Summit and granted a dedicated space in its Innovation Zone.
The challenge welcomes entries from around the world that identify solutions which accelerate the shift from reactive healthcare delivery to anticipatory models of care, strengthen resilience, and improve health outcomes at scale.
Designed to support the development of novel solutions, the challenge aligns with Future Health’s purpose to accelerate collaboration, promote research and innovation, and invest in impactful solutions that improve health, making sure people and communities are at the heart of sustainable progress.
The launch of the challenge reflects the growing need for a coherent, anticipatory health system built on foresight, not hindsight. While average global life expectancy more than doubled between 1800 and 2017, people are still spending around 50 percent of their lives in poor or moderate health.
Additionally, chronic diseases are expected to contribute $47 trillion in global costs by 2030, and nearly half of the world’s population still lacks full access to essential health services and early detection technology.
Advances in health sensing are helping people, communities, and health systems understand current health conditions, detect risks earlier, and anticipate how health patterns may evolve over time.
Sensing for health spans a wide spectrum of approaches, from community-based and social mechanisms to advanced digital and AI-enabled technologies. Differences in access, capability, and technology among individuals, clinicians, and health systems shape how effectively prediction can be achieved in communities around the world.
“The Future Health Challenge is about fuelling a global shift from reactive care to true prevention," said Mansoor Ibrahim Al Mansoori, Chairman of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. "Working with MIT Solve, we are backing innovators who, through sensing, are turning insight into predictive and preventive impact at scale. We want to help societies recognise risk sooner, prevent disease, build more intelligent hospitals, and help people make informed choices that improve their health.”
Hala Hanna, Executive Director of MIT Solve, said, “Anticipating health risks requires connecting innovation, evidence, and action at a global scale. Through this partnership with Future Health, we are proud to support innovators in developing sensing solutions that can strengthen prediction, prevention, and equity across health systems, and help translate promising ideas into measurable impact.”
Delivered as a rapid-cycle innovation challenge, selected innovators will be invited to the Abu Dhabi Future Health Summit from 7th to 9th April 2026, where semi-finalists will pitch their solutions live to a jury of experts and the Future Health Summit audience.
Finalists will advance to a subsequent pitch event to determine the overall winner. The winner will receive the US$200,000 grand prize, with two runner-up prizes of US$50,000 each.
In addition, 5 - 10 ‘honourable mention’ team leads will be invited to attend the Future Health Summit and granted a dedicated space in its Innovation Zone.
The challenge welcomes entries from around the world that identify solutions which accelerate the shift from reactive healthcare delivery to anticipatory models of care, strengthen resilience, and improve health outcomes at scale.
Designed to support the development of novel solutions, the challenge aligns with Future Health’s purpose to accelerate collaboration, promote research and innovation, and invest in impactful solutions that improve health, making sure people and communities are at the heart of sustainable progress.
The launch of the challenge reflects the growing need for a coherent, anticipatory health system built on foresight, not hindsight. While average global life expectancy more than doubled between 1800 and 2017, people are still spending around 50 percent of their lives in poor or moderate health.
Additionally, chronic diseases are expected to contribute $47 trillion in global costs by 2030, and nearly half of the world’s population still lacks full access to essential health services and early detection technology.
Advances in health sensing are helping people, communities, and health systems understand current health conditions, detect risks earlier, and anticipate how health patterns may evolve over time.
Sensing for health spans a wide spectrum of approaches, from community-based and social mechanisms to advanced digital and AI-enabled technologies. Differences in access, capability, and technology among individuals, clinicians, and health systems shape how effectively prediction can be achieved in communities around the world.
“The Future Health Challenge is about fuelling a global shift from reactive care to true prevention," said Mansoor Ibrahim Al Mansoori, Chairman of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. "Working with MIT Solve, we are backing innovators who, through sensing, are turning insight into predictive and preventive impact at scale. We want to help societies recognise risk sooner, prevent disease, build more intelligent hospitals, and help people make informed choices that improve their health.”
Hala Hanna, Executive Director of MIT Solve, said, “Anticipating health risks requires connecting innovation, evidence, and action at a global scale. Through this partnership with Future Health, we are proud to support innovators in developing sensing solutions that can strengthen prediction, prevention, and equity across health systems, and help translate promising ideas into measurable impact.”
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