Dubai Future Solutions programme advances global university start-ups in UAE expansion

The Dubai Future Solutions – Prototypes for Humanity initiative is accelerating three university spinouts from Switzerland, the United States and Egypt into pilot deployments and commercial expansion in the UAE, organisers said. The annual programme, held under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, brings together 100 start‑ups selected from thousands of submissions and is delivered through a partnership between the Dubai Future Foundation, Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), Art Dubai and the Hussain Sajwani – DAMAC Foundation.

“Through the ‘Dubai Future Solutions – Prototypes for Humanity’ initiative, we are building a structured pathway that takes breakthrough research from the lab to real world deployment and scalable ventures. Dubai offers something few places can, an integrated environment where government, industry, and capital align to test, refine, and scale solutions at speed. At the Dubai Future Foundation, our role is to support this journey end to end by connecting global talent with local partners and transforming scientific potential into tangible impact across sectors,” said His Excellency Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of the Dubai Future Foundation.

Programme structure and the cohort

The programme supplies academic founders with funding, business expertise, dedicated team support and industry collaborations to translate research into commercially viable solutions. It supports ventures from technology validation through business set‑up, commercial projects and growth, using a commercially minded, de‑risking approach to position teams to engage larger commercial partners and investors.

• Oxara – Founded by Dr. Gnanli Landrou and Dr. Thibault Demoulin, Oxara converts mineral and construction waste into low‑CO₂ building materials using a fraction of the energy and capex of conventional cement production. The company is moving into commercial‑scale deployment after a successful pilot with “one of Dubai’s leading concrete manufacturers” and is pursuing landmark projects and strategic partnerships across Europe and Africa.
• P‑Vita – Founded by Mohamed Tarek Abdelzaher and Naglaa Mohamed, both graduates of Zewail City of Science and Technology, P‑Vita combines proprietary biotechnology and AI‑driven production to develop natural, cost‑effective raw materials for agriculture, food and pharmaceutical industries. The firm already supports more than 4,800 smallholder farmers and is preparing to scale a tested joint‑venture model internationally, with a growing number of trials and crop applications launching in the UAE.
• Virufy – Led by Amil Khanzada, Specially Appointed Assistant Professor at the University of Fukui and a graduate student alumnus of UC Berkeley and Stanford, Virufy is enhancing a smartphone app that detects multiple respiratory diseases via cough sound pattern analysis. The company is advancing a pilot clinical study with Dubai Health that has nearly 200 patients enrolled and is entering a specialised AI research and development phase aimed at creating a screening tool with potential reach to up to one billion people in developing nations.

Backing, partners and outlook

His Excellency Arif Amiri, CEO of the DIFC Authority, highlighted DIFC’s role in the partnership: “DIFC’s founding partnership in ‘Prototypes for Humanity’ reflects our conviction that the most durable economic ecosystems are built on the ability to attract, support and retain the world’s most capable innovators.”

Organisers said the programme is already engaging a new, highly curated group of ventures from institutions including Harvard University, Imperial College London, Petronas Technology University and Duke University. Through the programme’s support these ventures are in late‑stage conversations with leading UAE entities and are expected to advance their efforts starting from the second half of 2026.

“The gap between a scientific breakthrough and a functioning commercial venture is rarely bridged without deliberate, bespoke support,” said Tadeu Baldani Caravieri, Managing Director of Prototypes for Humanity. The initiative has opened applications for the Dubai summit in November, inviting graduates, students and researchers to apply and enter the selection process for the 2027 ventures programme.