DoH and Hub71 to foster innovation ecosystem in healthcare 

The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), the regulator of the healthcare sector in the emirate, continues to invest in providing an attractive innovation ecosystem in healthcare, this time through a collaboration with Hub71, Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem. This comes as part of a collaboration agreement both entities signed today at GITEX Technology Week.

This partnership reinforces the efforts put forward by DoH to foster innovation in healthcare. It aims to create commercial opportunities for start-ups and enhance cooperation between entities from different fields in order to shed light on the most important challenges and provide technology-driven solutions and initiatives. These efforts aim to reflect positively on the healthcare sector in Abu Dhabi, improving the health and safety of community members.

HealthTech startup founders at Hub71 will benefit from direct access to the DoH’s vast network of local and international partners, customers, experts and investors, in addition to gaining priority entry into the DoH Plug and Play MENA HealthTech accelerator programme and the DoH Health Technology Assessment. DoH will also support Hub71’s founders in commercialising products and services by providing connections to hospitals, health insurance, life sciences partners, and universities in need of entrepreneurial support.

The partnership will culminate with the launch of the annual Hub71-DoH HealthTech Challenge. DoH will also join Hub71’s selection committee to choose highly-skilled entrepreneurs and exceptional startups to join Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem.

H.E. Dr. Jamal Mohammed Al Kaabi, Undersecretary of DoH, commented: “The Department of Health- Abu Dhabi (DoH) continues to consolidate its position as an incubator for innovation in the healthcare sector and a contributor to Abu Dhabi’s tech ecosystem, by establishing a dedicated centre for research and innovation in healthcare. The centre provides a stimulating and enabling regulatory environment for healthcare innovation, and targets startups by inviting them to find solutions to the challenges facing the local and global health sector. We have dedicated our efforts to ensure that the healthcare sector in the emirate adopts the optimal system to accelerate the adoption of modern technology in terms of the flexibility of legislation, ease of carrying out research and proof-of-concept tests. We also sought to provide the opportunity for health technology to join the healthcare network in the emirate, and established the first MENA healthcare accelerator programme in partnership with Plug and Play Abu Dhabi.”

Hub71 supports 17 HealthTech startups specialising in a range of innovative platforms and products that are addressing real-life challenges in healthcare, such as stimulating cognitive development among autistic children, enabling virtual consultation from hospitals and medical care centres, and delivering digital therapy courses and online counseling.

Startups seeking to join Hub71’s community and benefit from the tech ecosystem’s partnership with the DoH and other corporate and government partners can visit Hub71 for more information.