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Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, today honoured five outstanding students during this year’s edition of the ‘Dubai Future Solutions – Prototypes for Humanity’ exhibition. The students were recognised for exceptional innovations that offer practical solutions to global social and environmental challenges at an award ceremony held earlier today alongside the fourth edition of the Dubai Future Forum.
Her Highness and an expert jury selected the five students from a shortlist of 100 invited to participate in this year’s ‘Dubai Future Solutions – Prototypes for Humanity’ exhibition at AREA 2071 in Emirates Towers. The annual platform showcases university-led scientific innovations that address humanity’s most pressing challenges in health, technology, the environment and social impact.
The students received a joint $100,000 prize to support their research in vital fields. Over the past few months, thousands of solutions and innovations were submitted by students, recent graduates and professors from more than 1,200 universities across 120 countries.
The ‘Dubai Future Solutions – Prototypes for Humanity’ initiative, is held under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Dubai Future Foundation. The programme is held under the patronage and leadership of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
A joint effort between Prototypes for Humanity, an Art Dubai Group initiative, in partnership with Dubai Future Foundation, the Hussain Sajwani DAMAC Foundation and Dubai International Financial Centre, the programme supports university innovators from around the world in advancing their science-based solutions towards real-world application and growth.
The five exceptional innovators for the 2025 edition of ‘Dubai Future Solutions – Prototypes for Humanity’ were selected under five award categories: Health Diagnosis and Therapies, Circular Systems, Urban Society, Energy Futures, and Life Resources.
In the Health Diagnosis and Therapies category, CASPER from the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom was recognised for developing a precision gene targeting therapy and diagnostic platform to combat drug-resistant infections.
In the Circular Systems category, SPEED from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore was selected for its nanoparticle platform that rapidly screens plastic-degrading enzymes to accelerate recycling solutions.
In the Urban Society category, Vocadian from Harvard University in the United States received recognition for its AI voice analysis tool that detects worker fatigue to help prevent accidents in high-risk sectors, including construction.
In the Energy Futures category, Iron Lights Lives from the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi, India, was honoured for creating a low cost, long duration iron air battery capable of storing renewable energy for more than 100 hours as an accessible alternative to lithium-ion technology.
In the Life Resources category, PlumeSense AI from the Queensland University of Technology in Australia was recognised for its AI software that maps underground CO₂ movement in real time, delivering results up to 10,000 times faster than traditional methods.
Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum expressed her pride in the new generations of innovators who have presented groundbreaking solutions that embody innovation, excellence and the power of human ingenuity. She noted that these solutions reflect inspiring visions and ideas, demonstrating a strong sense of awareness and responsibility towards the future of society.
Her Highness said: “Today, we celebrate a distinguished group of creators who believed in their ability to make a difference. They harnessed their potential and presented exceptional innovations that transformed challenges into opportunities. Through their work, they have shown that true investment lies in minds capable of sustaining development and supporting communityprosperity.
“The objectives of the ‘Dubai Future Solutions – Prototypes for Humanity’ initiative, which brings together leading minds from academia and industry, align closely with the aspirations of creative innovators who seek to turn their ideas into impactful projects that serve humanity. The true value lies in applying these ideas within an integrated ecosystem that supports talent, nurtures new concepts and guides them towards creating global impact. We reaffirm our commitment to empowering these innovators and to continuing to support every initiative that contributes to enhancing quality of life and strengthening the readiness of our cities for the future.”
The 100 featured projects include entries from students and professors at universities in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Egypt and Jordan, alongside applicants from international institutions such as Harvard University, The University of Oxford, The University of Cambridge and MIT.
His Excellency Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of Dubai Future Foundation, affirmed that the ‘Dubai Future Solutions – Prototypes for Humanity’ initiative provides a global platform to showcase the most promising innovations from around the world, enabling them to scale and be implemented in real-world settings starting from Dubai. He added: “Through this initiative, we aim to spotlight the vital role of creative innovation in shaping the future and unlocking its opportunities by supporting and encouraging ideas that can advance key sectors and help build a better future for humanity.”
Hussain Sajwani, Founder of DAMAC Group,said, “We believe that tech-driven innovation is at the heart of progress, and we are honoured to be part of such an important initiative, which encourages young people to push the boundaries for the benefit of humanity. With over four decades of achievements, we understand the focus and dedication that is needed to transform ideas into a reality.”
Throughout the four-day exhibition and ongoing engagement with the programme, young innovators gain access to local and international government, industry professionals, investors, and funding opportunities across a range of sectors, including healthcare, energy, agriculture, smart infrastructure,and applied AI. These connections are a crucial step in enabling students to advance their ideas tothe next stage of commercial development and ultimately drive impactful change for real-world problems.
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