Could your research help shape a better future?

The Dubai Future Solutions – Prototypes for Humanity Summit is one of the world's largest gatherings of academic talent and breakthrough innovation, taking place in Dubai from 18-21 November 2026. 

If you're a university student or recent graduate developing an innovative project with real-world impact, apply now and take your place on the global stage. 

Applications close **3 August**

2026 Dubai Future Solutions – Prototypes for Humanity Summit

What **problem** are you addressing?
How are **existing** solutions failing?
What is your **alternative** solution?
How does it perform **better**?
What **impact** does your solution have?

We’d like you to tell us


We provide 100 selected projects with support to attend the summit in Dubai for both the leading student and supervisor. This includes:
- Hotel accommodation
- Flight subsidy
- Spending allowance
- Transport between the hotel, summit venue, and programme activities
- Curated social events

Travel and Accommodation

Key Dates

Apply to exhibit your university innovation at the Dubai Future Solutions – Prototypes for Humanity Summit, taking place in Dubai from 18-21 November 2026.

large_DSC05092.jpg

medium_DSC05092.jpg

small_DSC05092.jpg

thumbnail_DSC05092.jpg

DSC05092.jpg

2026 Applications Open - Apply Now

The Prototypes for Humanity Award presented to Dr Maral Bayaraa has been formally added to the University of Oxford’s History of Science Museum collection, alongside some of the world’s most significant scientific innovations that tell stories of human ingenuity. 

 

The ceremony at the museum, during which Dr Bayaraa donated her award certificate to the museum’s archive, was attended by representatives from the 1851 Royal Commission, the University of Oxford, the Mongolian Embassy, the Dubai Future Foundation and Prototypes for Humanity. 

 

The award was presented to Dr Bayaraa during the 2023 edition of Prototypes for Humanity, recognising her innovation Digital Twins 4 Tailings Dams. The solution combines satellite Earth observation with AI-driven analysis to help monitor the stability of tailings storage facilities, strengthening early-warning capabilities, improving risk oversight, and supporting safe, more sustainable mining practices. 
 

For Prototypes for Humanity, the donation is more than symbolic. Museum accessioning now gives the award a permanent institutional home, preserving the story of a science-backed innovation designed to prevent environmental harm and protect communities. 

 

Dr Bayaraa, originally from Mongolia and now based in the UK, is a PhD researcher at the University of Oxford and a Senior Specialist in Earth Observation at the Satellite Applications Catapult. She initially planned to study the arts and philosophy before choosing geology, a pivot that ultimately led her to study the planet at scale from space.

Prototypes for Humanity award enters a world-class museum collection

Tailings storage facilities are essential to modern mining, but failures can be catastrophic, causing environmental damage, threatening waterways, and placing surrounding communities at risk. Dr Bayaraa’s approach uses satellite-based Earth observation and AI to monitor these facilities and detect indicators of instability earlier, supporting better decision-making, improved oversight, and more proactive risk management. 

Why this innovation matters 

**18 December 2025**

The Prototypes for Humanity Award presented to Dr Maral Bayaraa has been formally added to the University of Oxford’s History of Science Museum collection, alongside some of the world’s most significant scientific innovations that tell stories of human ingenuity.

large_Screenshot 2026-02-27 112904.jpg

medium_Screenshot 2026-02-27 112904.jpg

small_Screenshot 2026-02-27 112904.jpg

thumbnail_Screenshot 2026-02-27 112904.jpg

Screenshot 2026-02-27 112904.jpg

In 2025, Prototypes for Humanity launched a new Academic Forum, bringing together 115 distinguished international academics to help turn science-backed research into real-world outcomes through active collaboration with industry and public-sector stakeholders.

Designed to empower professors as catalysts of change, the forum enables high-level dialogue, networking, meetings and curated collaborations between academia, government, industry professionals, investors and venture experts. 

New for 2025: Prototypes for Humanity Annual Summit introduces a new Academic Forum

The forum emphasised the vital role academics play in turning breakthrough research into real-world outcomes. Many promising ideas remain in academia because adoption is complex and depends on the right partners, validation environments, and implementation expertise. Connecting professors with decision-makers accelerates progress and creates pathways for scientific insight to translate into pilots, partnerships, and scalable impact.

Bridging research with real-world application 

Participating professors engaged in an intensive schedule designed to spark interdisciplinary collaboration and accelerate knowledge exchange, through:

- Workshops and dialogues with industry and venture experts
- Industry-led innovation sandpits, shaped around real-world challenges  and needs
- Interdisciplinary exchanges spanning sectors and scientific domains
- Peer-to-peer sessions supporting collaboration and insight-sharing
- Discussions focused on urgent challenges across health, climate, energy, and AI, reinforcing the emphasis on applied, high-impact research that can respond to real-world demands.
 

An Agenda Designed for Action

The breadth of research represented in the Forum was reflected in two days of short paper presentations, showcasing work across critical scientific and societal themes, alongside PechaKucha sessions, a fast-paced format for professors to present ideas, share knowledge and spark conversation.


Showcasing Global Research

# The Academic Forum concluded with Best Paper Awards, recognising outstanding academic contributions across seven categories. The winners were:



Awards and People’s Choice Winners 

The People’s Choice Awards were selected by attendees, recognising research that strongly resonated with the community. The winners were: 



Tadeu Baldani Caravieri, Director of Prototypes for Humanity, said: “Professors are central to shaping solutions to real-world problems, yet often groundbreaking research doesn’t reach where it is needed most. By uniting global academic excellence with Dubai’s future-driven ecosystem, we create structured pathways for research to accelerate into real-world impact. 


Leadership perspective 

Building on this momentum, Prototypes for Humanity will launch a formal publication platform in 2026, strengthening cross-border knowledge exchange and creating new opportunities for academics whose work demonstrates measurable social or environmental impact. 

 

What’s next: a new publication platform in 2026 

**10 February 2026** 

In 2025, Prototypes for Humanity launched a new Academic Forum, bringing together 115 distinguished international academics to help turn science-backed research into real-world outcomes through active collaboration with industry and public-sector stakeholders.


About

Summit

Venture Building

Innovation Services

Partners

Latest News

2026 Applications Open - Apply Now

Prototypes for Humanity award enters a world-class museum collection

New Academic Forum