ADIO, Abu Dhabi DoH partner with MBZUAI and Hub71 under the new HELM cluster

Abu Dhabi is once again putting its money where its mind is — this time by launching the HELM cluster, a bold new frontier in health, AI, and biotech. Short for Health, Endurance, Longevity, and Medicine, HELM is more than just another acronym. It's a full-fledged coalition, bringing together the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), the Department of Health - Abu Dhabi (DoH), Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), and the global tech ecosystem Hub71. All eyes are now on the capital as it shapes up to become the nerve center for AI-powered healthcare.

"We are building a globally connected ecosystem that empowers researchers, innovators, and investors to unlock the full potential of data-driven discovery," said Dr. Noura Khamis Al Ghaithi, DoH's Undersecretary. And she's not just talking shop — this is a moonshot in the making.

How will it work?

At its heart, HELM is a high-tech engine for discovering, making, and scaling medical solutions that weren't possible a decade ago. Here's how it ticks:

• AI-first medicine: Researchers and companies will use advanced algorithms to sift through mountains of clinical, genomic, and proteomic data — fast-tracking new drugs, tailored treatments, and pinpoint diagnostics.
• Plug-and-play ecosystem: Startups and scale-ups gain a runway — courtesy of ADIO's incentives and Hub71's global investor network — to build, test, and launch products right out of Abu Dhabi.
• MBZUAI's turbocharged labs: DeepTech startups aligned with the university's priorities will get access to state-of-the-art AI research facilities, not just to build tech, but to train the minds behind it.

This isn't just window dressing. HELM is building the digital scaffolding for a new kind of medicine — one that listens, learns, and adapts.

Why does it matter?

Let's be real — chronic diseases like diabetes and heart conditions are chewing up healthcare budgets and shortening lives. HELM wants to flip that script by turning Abu Dhabi into a "launchpad for groundbreaking solutions," as ADIO's Badr Al-Olama put it.

• Faster drug discovery: AI means getting from lab bench to bedside quicker than ever.
• Better care, personalized: We're talking treatments that don't just guess — they know what your body needs.
• Stronger global ties: Through Hub71, partnerships stretch from South Korea to France to Singapore. Innovation doesn't stop at the border.

The bottom line? Smarter healthcare that can actually keep up with the 21st century.

The context

This all unfolded during Abu Dhabi Global Health Week 2025, under the banner Towards Longevity: Redefining Health and Well-being. But this isn't a flash in the pan — it's a continuation of the emirate's full-throttle push into DeepTech and life sciences.

Hub71's Ahmad Ali Alwan summed it up: "The HELM cluster will serve as a launchpad for high-growth startups and leading innovators to develop and scale AI-driven life sciences solutions from Abu Dhabi to the world."

And MBZUAI's Prof. Sami Haddadin sees the bigger picture: "We aim to equip researchers, students, and entrepreneurs with the expertise and ecosystem needed to drive transformative innovations."

HELM aims to be a place where data meets biology, where ambition meets infrastructure, and where the future of medicine might just be getting written in code.