The Healthcare Engineering Innovation Group is an initiative aimed at transforming the healthcare innovation landscape in Abu Dhabi, the UAE, and the MENA region by bridging the substantial existing gap in healthcare innovation and technology. The group aims to tackle relevant health challenges in the UAE, aiming to attract external funding and evolve as a pioneer self-sustainable unit for medical device design, development, and clinical testing, in line with Khalifa University mission of innovation and research excellence and with Abu Dhabi Vision 2030.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is currently the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in the UAE with 30% of deaths attributed to CVDs. It is the leading cause of premature death and disability worldwide. In the UAE, the most important risk factors of heart disease to consider are unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, lack of CVD health awareness as well as the high prevalence of diabetes, obesity, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and smoking. Effective Early Diagnosis (ED) and immediate continuous monitoring (CM) can significantly improve mortality and morbidity rates, leading to longer independent living and a reduced use of health care resources. The Healthcare Engineering Innovation Group (HEIG) seeks to develop novel methodologies, devices, and tools for the diagnosis, intervention/treatment, and rehabilitation of the wide spectrum of health challenges associated with CVD. Towards this, the HEIG integrates a world-class multidisciplinary team of researchers with the leading healthcare providers/regulators in the UAE (SEHA, HAAD, Heart and Vascular and Stroke Institutes at the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi (CCAD)) to define and build population-specific, clinically implementable innovative approaches and engineering solutions.

HEIG has three primary goals:

• The first goal is to conduct world-class research in the fields of Diagnostic Engineering, Minimally Invasive Therapeutic Engineering and Rehabilitation Engineering with application to CVD, and to achieve high-quality measurable scientific outputs.
• The second goal is to build a strong human capital base in Abu Dhabi and the UAE and ensure the availability of a high-quality workforce for the medical technology ecosystem in which the HEIG will play a pivotal role.
• The third goal for HEIG is to generate significant IP with potential for licensing and creation of startup businesses. The team engages with international leading incubator activities in the medical technology space, towards the creation of a start-up culture and associated venture capital activity. The HEIG will promote the creation of start-up businesses, which will, in time, enable the UAE to become the key medical technology hub in the MENA region.