His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), has directed that 500 professionals from five future-driven sectors across the emirate be invited to take part in Dubai Future Week this November.
Participating through 500 Future Minds, one of Dubai Future Week’s eight core concepts, they will bring their experience and perspectives into a collaborative process designed to identify future priorities, explore new ideas and develop commitments for the years ahead.
The initiative supports the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to build a future in which people remain at the heart of all progress and development.
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said: “Dubai believes that shaping the future is a shared responsibility. It requires collective effort, and our ultimate goal is to build a better future for humanity. People are at the very heart of Dubai’s future vision, guiding its priorities and strategic goals. We are constantly exploring how to turn ideas into policies and legislation, innovation into real-world applications, and ambition into tangible outcomes that improve people’s lives.”
His Highness added: “Dubai has always looked ahead, anticipating change and identifying the opportunities it creates. We bring together talent, expertise and new ideas to reshape vital sectors, improve quality of life and ensure our communities are ready for the future.
“Foresight and proactive planning are part of how Dubai works. We create platforms that bring together the brightest minds, encourage new thinking and turn promising ideas into practical solutions. This approach allows us to build future-ready cities, develop agile government, make better use of our resources and seize the opportunities created by major global transformations.”
Organised by Dubai Future Foundation from 18 to 21 November 2026 under the theme ‘For the Human of the Future’, Dubai Future Week will bring together more than 10,000 participants across Emirates Towers and the Museum of the Future.
Proactive approach
Participants in the 500 Future Minds strand of the event will include 100 teachers, 100 frontline responders, 100 homegrown entrepreneurs, 100 economy and finance professionals, and 100 urban planners and architects. Across a one-day experience during Dubai Future Week, the 500 will work through future scenarios relevant to their sectors, examine how emerging technologies and wider transformations could reshape their work, and identify priorities, ideas and commitments that can contribute to Dubai’s future.
Focus areas
Their contributions will focus on improving people’s lives, enhancing wellbeing, creating greater opportunities, and building future-ready societies by leveraging artificial intelligence, robotics, biotechnology and advanced computing.
At the heart of 500 Future Minds is the idea that the people working within Dubai’s vital sectors should have a direct role in thinking about how those sectors could evolve. Rather than only discussing the future, participants will engage with possible scenarios, consider their implications for their professions and communities, and work together to identify practical priorities and commitments.
The concept reflects Dubai Future Week’s wider human-centred approach, exploring the future through five questions: How We’ll Live, How We’ll Think, How We’ll Innovate, How We’ll Feel, and How We’ll Do Business.
Dubai Future Week will feature keynote speeches, panel discussions, workshops, debates, challenges and competitions, pitch platforms, exhibitions, immersive experiences, closed-door meetings and activations across the Dubai Future District.
The mega event will connect experts, scientists, innovators, investors, policymakers, entrepreneurs, creators and leaders from around the world to examine the changes shaping people’s lives and explore the choices, opportunities and ideas that could define the decades ahead.