Abu Dhabi Opens Its ‘Living Lab’ to the World to Accelerate the Future of Health

7 May, 2026:

Speaking at Milken Institute Global Conference, one of the most influential cross-sector forums convening leaders in policy, investment and innovation, H.E. Mansoor Ibrahim Al Mansoori, Chairman of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DOH), invited global partners, investors and innovators to, “build, test and scale next-generation health solutions in Abu Dhabi.”

Al Mansoori positioned Abu Dhabi as a global test-bed for AI-enabled for real-world health innovation, underpinned by a fully integrated, intelligent health infrastructure, “AI, for us, is not hype, it is a utility. We are accelerating drug discovery by integrating comprehensive data like genotype, phenotype, and information from wearables into an AI-enabled system. This intelligent platform acts as a real-world evidence engine, allowing companies to assess product impact in real-time…Abu Dhabi is a ‘living lab’, and the invitation is open.”

Speaking with Diane Brady, Executive Editorial Director of Fortune, in the session, ‘Reimagining Healthcare, for Abu Dhabi and Beyond’, Al Mansoori highlighted the emirate’s shift from a reactive, treatment-led model to a proactive, prevention-first system. “The future of health will be on sensing. You need to sense to detect smarter and to intervene in illness earlier before it becomes a disease.”

Al Mansoori continued, “Every health system needs to have foresight, it is a responsibility. In Abu Dhabi, our intelligence-based system integrates all types of health data into one single platform that gives full visibility…so you can have the pulse of your system at any time.”

He highlighted the role of AI Agents within the emirate’s Unified Medical Operations Command Centre (UMOC) in creating foresight and resilience, “the UMOC is the ‘health brain’ of our system. Today, [with AI Agents] we have forty times the manpower of our workforce, detecting incidents in real-time, enabling faster emergency response, care that starts in the ambulance and creating a continuous intelligence loop.”

Al Mansoori continued, “Over the past period, our system didn’t pause. We kept going, delivering and accelerating. Abu Dhabi’s long-term plan in health, and in general, is grounded in economic diversification, strategic investment in technology and infrastructure, investing in people, empowered by deep capital reserve.”

He added, “We are building as system that ‘cares before it cures’, this is prevention at scale. We are giving people the data and insights they need to manage their own health…Our philosophy is to add life to life.”

On the sidelines of the conference, Al Mansoori also met with a select group of leaders in longevity, AI, biotechnology, paediatrics, genomics and investment during a dinner hosted under the Future Health – A Global Initiative by Abu Dhabi platform. The discussion focused on advancing practical models for

anticipatory health systems, expanding equitable access to predictive care, and exploring new financing models that prioritise long-term health outcomes.