Abu Dhabi: On the sidelines of its participation at GITEX Global Week 2022, the Department of Health - Abu Dhabi (DoH) signed an agreement with ADQ to support Abu Dhabi's vision in becoming a global leader in healthcare and life-sciences research and innovation.
The department is currently extending support to over 60 licensed start-ups and in communication with over 300 start-up companies worldwide covering healthcare digital, diagnostics, devices and drugs.
The MoU was signed by Dr. Jamal Mohammed Al Kaabi, Under-Secretary of DoH, and Fahad Al Qassim, Executive Director of Healthcare and Lifesciences at ADQ, in the presence of Abdulla bin Mohammed Al Hamed, Chairman, DoH.
As part of the MoU, both entities will establish a steering committee to manage and monitor all projects that will bear fruit from this collaboration in clinical research, evidence generation and innovation by leveraging both parties' assets and capabilities with an aim to improve synergies across the research and innovation value chain.
The committee will lead the governance regime and roadmap headed by representatives from each party to work on individual work streams in an efficient and agile manner.
Furthermore, DoH and ADQ seek to elevate synergy between UAE-based start-ups to improve the healthcare outcomes and contribute to Abu Dhabi's globally competitive knowledge-based economy.
DoH supports start-ups throughout the different development phases, from ideation to introduction and scaling to international markets.
Dr. Al Kaabi said, "In line with the directives of our wise leadership, our collaborations with leading entities such as ADQ echo Abu Dhabi's ongoing efforts to position itself as a leading life science destination as well as an incubator and accelerator for innovation.
"Through this agreement, we aim to further elevate our research capabilities to improve the resilience and sustainability of the sector which reflects on the quality of healthcare services provided to the Abu Dhabi community."
For his part, Al Qassim said, "As part of its transformation strategy that aims to further enhance the quality of the healthcare sector's outcomes, ADQ continues to demonstrate support to renowned events such as GITEX to explore opportunities and work in unison with global strategic partners to set the stage for a future driven by healthcare technology, innovation and artificial intelligence."
