Future Health, a global initiative by Abu Dhabi, has introduced a new international innovation challenge with MIT Solve to expedite the transition of reactive healthcare to predictive and anticipatory health systems.
The Future Health Challenge 2026, Building Anticipatory Health Systems through Population Sensing, is soliciting solutions in the use of sensing technologies to enhance the early detection of health conditions, enhance system resilience, and advance health outcomes at scale.
The program is available to innovators globally and is targeted at low-resource and high-tech healthcare settings. The shortlisted teams will receive an invitation to present their solutions at the Abu Dhabi Future Health Summit, which will be held between April 7 and 9.
The prize money will be distributed among three winning teams: the top prize at $200,000, and two runner-up prizes, each at $50,000. The selected innovators will also gain mentorship, access to Future Health international networks, and global visibility.
The Future Health is acting as the leader of the challenge, and MIT Solve is the implementation partner. The organisers claimed that the initiative is an indication of increasing strain on health systems around the world.
Although the average life expectancy improved more than three times between 1800 and 2017, society continues to spend approximately half of its lives in either poor or moderate conditions.
Chronic illnesses are expected to cost the world a total of $47 trillion by 2030, and almost half of the global population does not have access to the necessary health services and early detection devices.
Emerging health sensing technologies, such as community-based health sensing, digital, and AI-powered technologies, are being adopted more to identify risks at earlier stages and predict how health trends can change.
Therefore, the variation in access and capability still influences the application of predictive healthcare between the areas.
Mansoor Ibrahim Al Mansoori, Chairman of the Department of Health, Abu Dhabi, said, “The Future Health Challenge is about fuelling a global shift from reactive care to true prevention. Working with MIT Solve, we are backing innovators who, through sensing, are turning insight into predictive and preventive impact at scale. We want to help societies recognise risk sooner, prevent disease, build more intelligent hospitals, and help people make informed choices that improve their health.”
The challenge will be presented in the form of a rapid-cycle innovation programme. Semi-finalists will pitch on stage at the Future Health Summit, and the finalists will proceed to another pitch event to decide the overall winner.
Therefore, five to 10 other teams will be given honourable mentions and invited to display their work at the Innovation Zone of the summit.
Hala Hanna, executive director of MIT Solve, stated, “Anticipating health risks requires connecting innovation, evidence, and action at a global scale. Through this partnership with Future Health, we are proud to support innovators in developing sensing solutions that can strengthen prediction, prevention, and equity across health systems, and help translate promising ideas into measurable impact.”
Future Health indicated that the challenge aims to boost real-world use of new technologies and produce insights to inform health policy, investment decisions, and future health system design.
