Canadian University Dubai has been awarded three separate grants from the Dubai Future Foundation Research, Development, and Innovation Program
Researchers from the Canadian University Dubai (CUD) have been awarded three separate grants from the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) Program to advance the application of technologies to improve the health of people in the UAE. CUD faculty will be leading each of the projects, that will develop tools to improve health outcomes and position the UAE at the forefront of technology-driven healthcare solutions.
The university’s School of Engineering, Applied Science and Technology has secured two grants to support projects aimed at advancing technologies that support diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of healthcare. Led by CUD’s Prof. Firuz Kamalov, in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi School of Management and the University of Huddersfield, a team of researchers will pioneer an Explainable Artificial Intelligence system to support the early detection of dementia and to develop an understanding of its potential progression. The project has the capacity to deliver a major step forward in transforming dementia care through AI-driven innovation that can deliver earlier diagnosis to improve patient treatment, guide clinical decisions, and offer vital support to families.
Meanwhile, another project in the same School of Engineering Applied Science and Technology is led by Associate Professor, Dr. Haythem El-Messiry, in partnership with researchers from Shandong University and the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence. This project will harness the power of Volume Electron Microscopy (VEM) to enhance biological research capabilities. VEM involves a group of electron microscopy techniques for revealing the 3D ultrastructure of organisms at nanometer resolution. The technology is heralded as a revolutionary advancement in imaging to unravel biological complexity at scale, supporting the progression of research in health sciences. This project aims to develop a fast, robust, and high-precision VEM image processing workflow which can achieve high-throughput and high-resolution large-scale biological 3D structure analysis to effectively bridge the gap between cell biology and tissue biology analysis.
A third project in the university’s School of Health Sciences and Psychology will embark on a pioneering project to establish a Health Technology Assessment (HTA) System in the UAE, to improve evidence-based decision-making in healthcare. Aiming to digitize health systems and promote multi-sectoral and multidisciplinary approaches, the project will integrate AI and web-based platforms, to enable more informed decisions about the value and reimbursement of health technologies. Led by CUD Assistant Professor, Dr. Mohammed AlKhaldi, the research team will also include CUD Associate Professor, Dr. Wissam Ghash, along with collaborators from McGill University, Canada and University of Bonn, Germany.
Each of the projects aims to contribute to the UAE’s strategic vision to be a world leader in healthcare and wellbeing. Speaking about the awards, CUD Provost, Dr. Adam Fenech said, “These grants recognize CUD’s leading role in health research and innovation in the UAE and wider region. With the support of Dubai Future Foundation and our institutional partners, we are tackling critical issues in global healthcare. These projects have the potential to establish the UAE as the benchmark for innovations that have impact on a global scale.”
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About Canadian University Dubai
Established in 2006, Canadian University Dubai (CUD) is a higher education institution located in City Walk, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The university is the #1 ranking University in Dubai according to the QS World University Rankings 2025. CUD is a diverse and dynamic institution, with over 120 student nationalities. With a reputation for academic excellence, the university offers more than 30 specialized majors, concentrations, and focus area pathways, through over 25 accredited undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The curriculum is Canadian-inspired and serves as a gateway for students to pursue higher education, research, entrepreneurship and employment opportunities in Canada.
