Abu Dhabi launches $300,000 challenge to improve disease prediction in healthcare

Abu Dhabi has launched a global innovation challenge offering $300,000 in prize funding for solutions aimed at improving how healthcare systems predict disease before symptoms appear.

The Future Health Challenge, run in partnership with MIT Solve, focuses on addressing the gap between collecting health data and using it to anticipate illnesses early. Despite advances in wearable sensors, artificial intelligence diagnostics and population health analytics, many healthcare systems continue to respond after disease develops rather than identifying risk in advance.

“The Future Health Challenge is about supporting a shift toward prevention,” said Mansoor Ibrahim Al Mansoori, Chairman of the Department of Health Abu Dhabi. “We want to help societies identify risk earlier, prevent disease, strengthen hospital systems, and enable people to make informed decisions about their health.”

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Prediction, prevention and equity

Organisers say the challenge responds to inefficiencies in modern healthcare delivery. Global life expectancy has more than doubled between 1800 and 2017, yet people continue to spend a significant share of their lives in poor or moderate health. Chronic diseases are projected to contribute trillions of dollars in global economic costs by 2030, while large segments of the global population lack access to early detection and preventive care.

Technologies capable of identifying health risks already exist. Continuous glucose monitors track metabolic changes. Wearable devices detect irregular heart rhythms. Artificial intelligence systems assist in identifying early signs of disease in medical imaging. However, these tools often operate in isolation, producing data that is not consistently integrated into prevention pathways or clinical decision making.

“Anticipating health risks requires linking innovation, evidence, and action,” said Hala Hanna, Executive Director of MIT Solve. “Through this partnership, we aim to support solutions that strengthen prediction, prevention and equity across health systems.”

The challenge seeks solutions across four areas. These include:

1. Improving population-level risk forecasting using digital tools that capture early signals from communities and frontline health services

2. Strengthening disease surveillance and early warning systems

3. Developing low technology solutions that can operate in underserved or fragile settings

4. Creating decision support systems that turn fragmented data into usable forecasts

Organisers note that integration remains a persistent obstacle. A recent study found that while a majority of hospitals in the United States use some form of artificial intelligence, many lack governance frameworks that allow these tools to influence care delivery in a consistent way. Data is often collected, but not translated into preventive action.

Access to devices

The emphasis on low resource environments reflects concerns about access. High cost wearables and advanced analytics may benefit well resourced populations, but communities facing the highest disease burdens often lack the infrastructure needed to deploy them. Eligible solutions must demonstrate relevance in settings with limited connectivity, constrained budgets, or minimal clinical infrastructure.

Abu Dhabi’s involvement aligns with its broader investments in health innovation, including precision medicine, digital health, artificial intelligence research, and partnerships with international institutions.

Future Health, the government-led initiative behind the challenge, operates across areas such as longevity, digital health, health system resilience and life sciences investment.

MIT Solve brings experience from nearly a decade of running open innovation challenges across health, climate, education, and economic development. The organisation reports that most teams selected through its programmes between 2020 and 2024 remain active, suggesting a focus on solutions that can be sustained beyond early pilots.

How the challenge works

Selected innovators will present their solutions at the Abu Dhabi Future Health Summit, scheduled for April 7 to 9. One winner will receive $200,000, with two additional prizes of $50,000 each. Selected teams will also gain access to local healthcare partners, mentorship, and international networks.

Applications close on February 23. Eligible submissions must be at least at prototype stage and may operate as for profit, non profit, or hybrid models. Technologies may range from digital platforms and artificial intelligence systems to SMS based tools or other methods adapted for health sensing and prediction.