Latifa bint Mohammed opens an exhibition "Dubai Solutions for the Future – Innovations for Humanity" 2025
DUBAI, 17th November, 2018 (WAM) – Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairwoman of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), today opened the “Dubai Solutions for the Future – Innovations for Humanity” 2025 exhibition, which includes, over four days, 100 distinguished student projects that seek to address the most prominent social and environmental challenges facing humanity.
Her Highness held a meeting with a group of leaders and representatives of government and private entities, in addition to a number of investment entities and business incubators, whose work is an essential element in transforming ideas into practical, applicable solutions. They are: His Excellency Engineer Marwan Ahmed bin Ghalita, Director General of Dubai Municipality, His Excellency Arif Amiri, CEO of the Dubai International Financial Center Authority and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Art Dubai, Dr. Amer Sharif, Executive Director of Dubai Health, and Dr. Saeed Al Mansouri, Director of the Remote Sensing Department. At the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, Fares Saeed, Chairman and CEO of Sea Holding, Fadi Ghandour, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Wamda platform, Dr. Ozan Koseoglu, Global Head of Building Information Modeling at Siemens Energy, Ibtisam Al-Saadi, Director of Industrial Policy and Legislation at the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, Nader Al Bastaki, Director General of the Dubai Future District Fund, and Duraid Al-Zaghwani, Chief Operating Officer of the Investment Corporation of Dubai. Government, and discussed with them the vital role of university scientific innovations in developing practical solutions with a tangible impact on the ground.
Her Highness also toured the exhibition, during which she viewed some of the 100 projects on display, which were selected from thousands of entries submitted by students, graduates, and professors from more than 1,200 universities in 120 countries around the world. She listened to an explanation about the components of the exhibition, which will continue until Thursday, November 20, in the 2071 area of the Emirates Towers, coinciding with the holding of the fourth session of the Dubai Future Forum.
The work of the “Dubai Future Solutions – Innovations for Humanity” initiative is being 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, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Dubai Future Foundation, and under the patronage and leadership of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
The program is the result of joint cooperation between the “Innovations for Humanity” initiative of the Art Dubai Group, in partnership with the Dubai Future Foundation, the Hussain Sajwani-DAMAC Charitable Foundation, and the Dubai International Financial Centre, and aims to enable young innovators from around the world to develop pioneering scientific solutions and transform them into practical applications that contribute to making a tangible impact on the ground.
Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum confirmed that the “Dubai Future Solutions – Innovations for Humanity” initiative has succeeded in enhancing its presence and position as a leading platform for enabling innovation, an incubator for exceptional ideas and inspiring projects, and a global forum for young energies, experts and decision makers to exchange visions and anticipate the features of the future.
Her Highness said: This initiative, year after year, proves the unlimited human ability to innovate, reflects our firm belief in the importance of innovation as an approach capable of changing the lives of societies for the better, and shows the extent of the next generation’s commitment to making a positive impact by providing practical solutions to the social and environmental challenges facing our planet today, and contributing to making an impact and reshaping the future. It embodies Dubai’s vision of supporting science and knowledge, and its interest in the scientific research system and transforming unique ideas into useful projects in the service of humanity, which opens new horizons for development. Knowledge and design of a more sustainable future.
Her Highness added: The greatest projects begin with an idea, and a distinguished idea is capable of building lasting glory, and when the idea finds an environment that embraces it; It is turning into a pioneering achievement, and this is the essence of our message in this initiative, through which we affirm our permanent commitment to supporting initiatives that stimulate creativity, empower youth, and contribute to achieving comprehensive and sustainable development goals.
Her Highness pointed out the importance of partnerships and their role in achieving the initiative’s goals, building bridges between innovative minds and institutions, and opening new paths for growth and knowledge exchange.
For his part, His Excellency Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of the Dubai Future Foundation, said: We aspire for Dubai to become one of the most prominent future cities in the world, and the creative innovations that we are witnessing within the “Dubai Future Solutions – Innovations for Humanity” initiative embody this forward-looking thought. In a short period, Dubai has succeeded in consolidating its position as a leading global center for innovation and technology, a testing platform for creative thinkers, and a home for some of the most prominent entrepreneurs and institutions with a future vision in the world.
His Excellency Arif Amiri, CEO of the DIFC Authority and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Art Dubai, said: This week is a source of true inspiration, and the DIFC is proud to lead a program with global impact. As a founding partner of the “Dubai Future Solutions – Innovations for Humanity” initiative, we continue our commitment to driving the future of technology and sustainability, and providing ongoing support to innovators whose projects are making a tangible impact in communities around the world.
This year’s project trends highlighted a strong focus on addressing global health issues, environmental concerns, and climate change resilience and many students developed specialized practical solutions, drawing on their academic expertise to provide precise and tailored solutions to address global challenges.
A large proportion of projects focused on financial sustainability and accessibility, ensuring wider benefit from innovations. The integration of advanced enabling technologies, such as artificial intelligence, into traditional sectors has highlighted an evolving innovation landscape, where these technologies can be applied to tangible problems to achieve real impact.
Taddu Baldani Caravieri, Director of the Dubai Future Solutions – Innovations for Humanity initiative, explained: Our admission criteria are strict, and every year we receive thousands of applications that include practical solutions to real problems that affect society and the environment. These university innovations aim to be transformed into commercially applicable projects, ensuring that humanity truly benefits from them. The “Dubai Future Solutions – Innovations for Humanity” program provides a vital link between ideas emerging in academia and innovations applied on the ground.
Over the course of the exhibition, and through continued participation in the programme, young innovators have the opportunity to network with local and international government agencies, experts in various sectors, and investors, in addition to funding opportunities from various fields including healthcare, energy, agriculture, smart infrastructure, and applied artificial intelligence.
These connections are a pivotal step in enabling students to develop their ideas towards commercial implementation stages and, ultimately, achieve tangible impact in addressing real-world challenges.
Five distinguished participants, selected from among the top 100 projects, will be awarded a total financial prize of $100,000 to support the continued development of their research in vital fields.
The “Dubai Future Solutions – Innovations for Humanity” initiative represents a global platform aimed at bringing together innovators, researchers and visionaries to create transformative solutions that benefit humanity. Under the supervision of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairwoman of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, the initiative seeks to promote future innovations by supporting prototypes and experimental models that address the most important global challenges, while consolidating Dubai’s position as a global center for innovation.
More information about the “Dubai Future Solutions – Innovations for Humanity” initiative can be obtained by visiting the website: prototypesforhumanity.com @prototypesforhumanity.
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