Inaugural Future Health Impact Challenge Documentary Released as Expressions of Interest Open for Second Challenge

Future Health – A Global Initiative by Abu Dhabi today premiered a documentary film about the inaugural Future Health Impact Challenge during the first day of the Abu Dhabi Future Health Summit. The film’s global launch, alongside the announcement of the second Challenge connects the Challenge’s initial results with its next phase with Expressions of Interest now open for the second edition.

Delivered in collaboration with MIT Solve, the inaugural Impact Challenge demonstrates the transformative power of innovative solutions that accelerate the shift from reactive to anticipatory healthcare systems.

With scenes filmed in Kigali, Medellín, São Paulo, Boston, and Abu Dhabi, the film shares personal commentary from the founders, local perspectives of the solutions in action, and insight from Future Health and MIT Solve. It follows the winner and two distinguished finalists as they turn signals from frontline consultations, mosquito surveillance, and routine blood tests into information that are supporting earlier health decisions for people, communities, and health systems.

The solutions emerging from these companies reflect both the urgency and opportunity facing health systems globally. Through Future Health – A Global Initiative by Abu Dhabi, innovators can connect with policymakers, funders, and implementers who can help create pathways toward wider adoption and impact.

Dr Asma Al Mannaei, Executive Director of the Health and Life Sciences Sector at the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, said: “Too often, health systems only detect risk once it has become illness and when treatment is more complex. Solutions from the Future Health Impact Challenge are designed to identify risk earlier and support more timely decisions at a population level. The priority now is testing and scaling what works in real-world settings.”

The film also examines the work required after an innovation has been recognised. Local validation, integration into health-system workflows, responsible data governance, sustainable financing, and workforce training all shape whether an early signal leads to more informed decisions and better health outcomes.

With the inaugural Challenge attracting 393 submissions from 68 countries, Expressions of Interest are now open for prospective participants to receive information on the second Challenge as its scope and application arrangements are finalised.

Hala Hanna, Executive Director, MIT Solve, said: “We're excited to work with Future Health for a second year. Future Health's commitment to working with Solve to identify and support innovators who are advancing health care through innovative solutions translates to direct impact in communities around the world. These are the kind of partnerships that are building a better future for all.”

The Expression of Interest process will allow those who register to receive updates on the second Future Health Impact Challenge theme, eligibility requirements, available support, key dates, and application process when these are publicly announced.

Award recipients featured in the documentary include:

Winner: ThinkMD, filmed in Rwanda

An offline-capable mobile clinical decision-support platform that guides frontline health workers through structured assessments and turns routine encounters into population health signals. According to Challenge materials, it is used by more than 9,000 frontline workers across 885 facilities, and that symptom patterns in its data preceded a confirmed cholera outbreak in Zambia.

Distinguished Finalist: Vector Control Innovations, filmed in Colombia

VectorCam uses a low-cost smartphone imaging device and offline AI to help community health workers identify mosquitoes in the field and generate time- and location-based surveillance data. Field evaluations reported in the Challenge materials found that data completeness increased from about 60 per cent to more than 90 per cent.

Distinguished Finalist: Huna, filmed in Brazil

Huna analyses routine complete blood count data to identify people at elevated cancer risk and prioritise them for appropriate screening and care pathways. Rather than diagnosing cancer from a blood test, the solution is designed to help identify who may benefit from further investigation. According to Challenge materials, deployments in Brazil have screened more than 500,000 people and identified hundreds of cancer cases.

The Future Health Impact Challenge documentary film can be viewed at ​From Innovation to Action | Future Health Impact Challenge ​ - YouTube.

Participants interested in registering their Expression of Interest can submit their details at Future Health Impact Challenge | MIT Solve.

About Future Health – A Global Initiative by Abu Dhabi

Future Health is a year-round platform for global collaboration and transformative health innovation, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council.

Bringing together health researchers, policymakers, business leaders, investors and entrepreneurs from across disciplines and geographies, Future Health drives collective action to strengthen health systems and unlock longer, healthier lives for all.

Through a year-round programme of research insights, publications, impact initiatives, Challenges, R&D funding, and cross-sector convenings, Future Health advances progress across four focus areas: longevity and precision medicine, health systems and sustainability, digital health and AI, and investment in life sciences.

Future Health is curated and convened by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi and its Founding Partners PureHealth, M42, Institute for Healthier Living Abu Dhabi, and Mubadala Bio. Mediclinic Middle East serves as Strategic Partner and Burjeel Holdings as Associate Partner.

For more information, visit www.futurehealthinitiative.ae⁠ and follow Future Health on: X, Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook.

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