DUBAI: Latifa bint Mohammed honours top 5 contestants at Dubai Future Solutions – Prototypes for Humanity initiative, celebrated as part of the Dubai Future Forum at the Museum of the Future. Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum led the awards ceremony, recognizing exceptional projects aimed at addressing global social and environmental challenges.
According to Emirates News Agency, the initiative operates under the auspices of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and is organized by the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF). The event attracted participants from over 800 universities worldwide, showcasing innovative solutions to pressing issues. The top 100 projects were displayed in an exhibition inaugurated by Sheikha Latifa at AREA 2071 at Emirates Towers.
Sheikha Latifa emphasized Dubai’s commitment to fostering innovation, stating, “Dubai is dedicated to nurturing innovation and creativity across all fields.” She presented a prize purse totaling AED360,000 to the five winners, w
hose projects were selected by an expert jury. The winners included ANGIE from ETH Zurich for brain tumour treatment, TERRACEL from Stanford University for soil-powered renewable energy, FREZA NANOTECH from Uganda Christian University for biodegradable produce preservation, PLASMA WASTEWATER PURIFICATION from IIT Delhi for wastewater treatment, and TIME SENSITIVE APPLICATIONS OF IN-NETWORK ML from University of Oxford for ultra-low latency applications.
The Prototypes for Humanity programme, now in its tenth year, highlights the critical role of academia in solving complex problems. It offers global talent access to government support, industry partnerships, and funding. The programme features collaborations with students and professors from over 100 countries to identify projects with the potential to address significant global challenges.
Among the notable entries from this year’s exhibition were projects from Stanford, Oxford, and Imperial College, with 11 entries from the Middle East and North Africa, i
ncluding four from the UAE. The initiative is supported by lead partners DFF and the Hussain Sajwani – DAMAC Foundation, along with Dubai Culture and DIFC as supporting partners.
Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of DFF, noted Dubai’s role as a model for global innovation, while Arif Amiri, CEO of DIFC, emphasized the importance of showcasing excellence in innovation. Hussain Sajwani, Founder and Chairman of DAMAC, expressed his support for Dubai’s leadership in innovation. Tadeu Baldani Caravieri, Director of Prototypes for Humanity, highlighted the programme’s success in uniting academia and industry to address global challenges.
