Problem-solving for the future: Expo City Dubai Foundation launches Changemakers Academy to support aspiring young innovators

Expo City Dubai Foundation has launched the Changemakers Academy – an innovation and entrepreneurship incubator for young innovators that will incentivise creative problem-solving and unearth bold solutions to social and environmental challenges relevant to the UAE.

With an open call for applications from final-year students and fresh graduates of UAE-based universities, the intensive, multi-stage programme supports the UAE Year of Community by inspiring and equipping the next generation to act and channelling their creativity and passion into developing real-world solutions.

The Changemakers Academy offers a structured incubation journey with rigorous training and practical support, with the final selected projects receiving grants of up to AED 50,000, mentorship, investor introductions and help with business setup, including licence, visa and a workspace at Expo City Dubai. The programme represents an exceptional opportunity for ambitious young entrepreneurs to transform their ideas into commercially viable businesses.

Yousuf Caires, Executive Director, Expo City Dubai Foundation, said: “Our innovation programmes throughout Expo 2020 Dubai and COP28 have demonstrated the tremendous potential of UAE youth, which Expo City stands ready to champion as a hub for pioneers and groundbreaking solutions. The Changemakers Academy aims to incentivise the best young minds to come up with solutions to challenges that are particularly pertinent to the UAE, to nurture and develop these ideas into marketable, successful businesses and drive positive, tangible change in the community.”

Priority areas were chosen in consultation with Dubai’s Community Development Authority (CDA), and include opportunities to improve traffic congestion, mental wellbeing and work-life balance, as well as environmental responsibility and better inclusion for people of determination and the elderly.

Students must submit their applications by end-March, after which selected projects will be invited to a ‘bootcamp’ to help refine their ideas. Shortlisted projects will advance to the Accelerated Incubation Programme where they will participate in AI-based design-thinking training covering ideation, prototyping, digital skills and certification. The concluding pitching sessions and final selection will take place in June 2025.

The Changemakers Academy takes forward the previous Expo Live University Innovation Programme, which received more than 1,000 applications from 40-plus universities across the UAE and supported 58 student teams. It is part of the Expo City Dubai Foundation, a non-profit organisation launched in June 2024 to bridge the gap between people, ideas and resources, driving innovation and collaboration to deliver positive social, economic and environmental change.

Already home to future-focused entities such as Emirates Group’s ebdaa innovation hub and the Expo City Urban Lab – a city-wide testbed dedicated to piloting urban development technologies – Expo City is a haven for pioneers, entrepreneurs and innovators who believe in its mission to create a better future for people and planet, supporting sectors driving the delivery of Dubai’s Economic Agenda (D33).