Following Arab Health 2024, the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) has announced a strategic partnership with Masdar City, a sustainable urban community and technological hub. This collaboration also involves Xlife Sciences and Thermo Fisher Scientific, renowned for their contributions to biotech research and scientific innovation. Through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), these entities aim to reshape Abu Dhabi’s healthcare sector by promoting innovation, advancing clinical research, and nurturing the growth of life science startups within the Emirate’s dynamic ecosystem.

Speaking to HEALTH Magazine about the intent of this partnership and its potential impact on healthcare innovation in the UAE, Mohammed Abdelrazik, director of asset management, Masdar City, highlighted the potential of bringing together leading entities from various sectors to drive progress in clinical research and develop sustainable solutions for pressing healthcare needs.

Q: Please elaborate on the intent of this Masdar City partnership MOU with DOH.

Masdar City is a world-class sustainable urban community and innovation hub. Creating the city of the future requires business investment, partnership, and collaboration. This is the basis of Masdar City’s ecosystem, which will be enabling this new partnership.

This MOU is only one small part of Masdar City’s strategy to enable and drive bio-tech innovation. We’re already home to a cluster of amazing companies that are transforming the life sciences landscape in the UAE.

For example, Prepaire and Insilico Medicine are using genome sequencing and AI to advance drug research and development. Additionally, M42 has just signed on to use our first net-zero energy commercial building for a biobank. Emirates Drug Corp, the UAE equivalent of the FDA in the U.S., has also just signed on to join our ecosystem. The Technological Innovation Institute is doing amazing tech research.

DOH, Masdar City, Thermo Fisher and Xlife Sciences will be working together within this ecosystem to support clinical research and trials, test and validate innovative healthcare solutions, and bring new products to market. Ultimately our goal is to drive health care innovation, meet pressing local and regional health needs, and help Abu Dhabi’s economy grow.

Q: How will this actually foster innovation and research that will foster sustainable health care in the UAE?

Each one of the partners in this agreement brings something distinct to the table. Masdar City is the enabler thanks to our existing ecosystem, which, in addition to other biotech and life sciences companies, includes investors, research and education institutions, and other businesses. All of these entities work together to foster innovation with high impact and low carbon footprint. The infrastructure we’re able to offer these companies is an incredible bonus: We design and create the most energy-efficient buildings on the market, meaning our companies are also able to advance their ESG goals and invest the money they’ll save on utilities back into R&D.

Q: How will the benefits eventually filter down to people/patients?

Innovation is about making life better for people, and biotech and life sciences innovation in particular has the potential to literally change people’s lives. We’re honored to be part of that.

Anyone who has been part of biotech innovation understands that there is no silver bullet to creating new treatments and technologies. It requires top-notch infrastructure, purpose-built spaces, capital, an opportunity to test and evaluate, access to world-class talent, and an environment and a culture where ideas can become reality. This is the ethos of Masdar City – we bring people, ideas, infrastructure, and capital together to create solutions for a better, healthier, more sustainable world.