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Major Israeli-Emirates agreement signed to start jointly building health tech
November 21, 2022
Collaborative projects planned in stem cell tech, cardiology and more as Sheba Medical Center starts cooperation with Abu Dhabi-based innovation giant G42 Healthcare
Israel’s largest hospital has signed a strategic cooperation deal to develop new health technology with scientists in the United Arab Emirates.
Sheba Medical Center officials ratified a memorandum of understanding on Monday with G42 Healthcare, a large Abu Dhabi-based health-tech company focused on artificial intelligence-based innovations.
Speaking from a signing ceremony in Abu Dhabi, Dr. Yoel Har Even, director of Sheba’s international department, said that the agreement is one of the biggest steps to advance medicine since Israel and the UAE normalized their ties through the 2020 Abraham Accords.
“Israel has a lot to offer the region, including our entrepreneurship and innovative approach, and we can learn and benefit from the UAE, who are leaders in AI and tech production,” Har Even told The Times of Israel. “This agreement is all about two-way collaboration.
“The Abraham Accords presented a new paradigm for Sheba to implement its vision of providing ‘hope without borders.’ This agreement realizes our commitment to both support and learn from our neighbors in the Middle East.”
Since the signing of the Abraham Accords in August 2020, Sheba Medical Center has adopted several initiatives to build relations and collaboration with Gulf countries in medical care and research.
Sheba has partnered with Bahrain’s largest hospitals on research initiatives and has signed an MOU with the Department of Health in Abu Dhabi for developing improved healthcare services.
In the context of the G42 Healthcare agreement, plans are already being drawn up for collaboration on stem cell research programs, infrastructure building, cardiology, oncology, obstetrics, gynecology, diabetes, and fertility.
Dr. Fahad Al Marzooqi, chief operating officer of G42 Healthcare, said he anticipates his company and Sheba working together “advancing scientific and ethical research, conducting clinical trials and reporting, expanding, and ensuring access to innovation in life-changing treatments.”