Dubai Future Accelerators, DFA, an initiative of Dubai Future Foundation, DFF, launched the 7th cohort of its programme that seeks to position Dubai as a hub for innovation, emerging technologies and an ideal destination for start-ups and entrepreneurs with bold solutions to future challenges.

Based on the requirements provided by the participating entities – Dubai Police, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, DEWA, Roads and Transport Authority, RTA, Dubai Health Authority, DHA, Knowledge and Human Development Authority, KHDA, and Etisalat Digital – 688 start-ups and scale-ups from around the world applied to join the 7th DFA gathering.

After a 12-week multi-stage vetting and selection process, 27 companies from 16 countries were selected to join the in-residence programme in Dubai, including the United States, Europe, India, South Korea, Singapore, Latvia, Ireland, Andorra, Finland, New Zealand, Germany and Australia.

During the nine-week programme, the companies will be working with partner entities to test their solutions and explore how their products and services could be leveraged by their respective partner entities.

Launched in 2016 by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of the Executive Council and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the DFF, the DFA is seen as a global platform that provides an opportunity for start-ups and entrepreneurs around the world to collaborate with strategic government entities, as well as work closely with decision makers in Dubai.

Commenting on the launch, Abdulaziz Al Jaziri, Deputy CEO and Chief Operations Officer at DFF, said, “The programme has been created to jump-start collaborations between DFA’s partners and participating start-ups while supporting them in understanding the market and local business culture, as well as connecting them to a wider ecosystem to maximise their potential.”

Programme 7 challenges include: The Future of Policing and Security: The Dubai Police are testing AI-powered solutions in the field of data analytics and port security.

The Future of Energy and Water: Continuing its pioneering role and efforts in designing the future, through its participation in the DFA programme, DEWA is working to find proactive, sustainable and innovative solutions to the most important challenges. The authority received more than 30 applications, from which three start-ups were selected.

The Future of Transport: For this programme, the RTA has selected tech-solutions in the field of smart monitoring, futuristic solutions and innovative cooling by utilising the current environment (e.g. humidity and hot weather) to cool down pedestrian zones and generate energy.

The Future of Healthcare: The DHA’s challenges focused on patient safety during surgery and early intervention are aligned with the Dubai Health Vision 2016-2021 to transform Dubai into a leading healthcare destination.

The Future of Education and Lifelong Learning: Presenting one challenge, KHDA has selected start-ups and scale-ups to help create lifelong learning experiences for individuals, the community and the planet.

The Future of Telecommunications and Digital Retail: In addition to focusing on tech-solutions for automated user acceptance testing and augmented reality and service delivery experience, Etisalat Digital is also exploring disruptive solutions in the field of digital retail experience.