Abu Dhabi's Department of Health and Sanofi Partner to Establish AI-Enabled Vaccine Innovation Centre
核心洞察
The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (搜索) and Sanofi signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly explore developing a Vaccine Innovation Centre in Abu Dhabi.
The collaboration will integrate AI-enabled vaccine discovery, mRNA research, clinical development, and advanced manufacturing within a single ecosystem.
The planned centre aims to strengthen regional and global preparedness for future public health challenges and expand access to advanced vaccines.
The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (搜索) (DoH) and Sanofi, a global biopharmaceutical and vaccines leader, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deepen their partnership in vaccine innovation and jointly explore the establishment of a Vaccine Innovation Centre in Abu Dhabi. The agreement was announced during the BIO International Convention 2026 in San Diego, USA, and builds on a strategic partnership originally forged between the two entities in 2025.
The collaboration is designed to bring together scientific research, clinical infrastructure, academic expertise, enabling regulation, and advanced manufacturing within a single integrated ecosystem. Operating within Abu Dhabi's Health, Endurance, Longevity, and Medicine (HELM) Cluster, the initiative aims to accelerate the journey from discovery through to patient impact.
A Comprehensive Innovation Ecosystem
The planned Vaccine Innovation Centre will house capabilities spanning AI-enabled vaccine discovery and design, immunology research, clinical development, mRNA research, and clinical manufacturing. By co-locating these functions, the partners intend to create a streamlined pathway from early-stage research to commercialisation.
Dr. Noura Khamis Al Ghaithi, Undersecretary of the DoH, underscored the strategic vision behind the partnership. "Through our partnership with Sanofi, we are bringing together AI, scientific research, clinical expertise, advanced manufacturing and enabling regulation within a single ecosystem designed to accelerate the journey from discovery to impact," she said. Dr. Al Ghaithi added that the initiative reflects Abu Dhabi's commitment to creating an environment where innovators can build, test, and scale solutions that improve lives, strengthen preparedness, and advance health outcomes for communities around the world.
Leveraging AI and mRNA Advances
Baptiste de Clarens, General Manager Vaccines, Greater Gulf at Sanofi, highlighted the transformative forces reshaping the field. "Vaccine innovation today is being reshaped by artificial intelligence, by advances in mRNA science, and by new models that connect discovery, development and manufacturing," he said. "Through this agreement, we look forward to exploring with the DoH how these capabilities can be brought together to accelerate the journey from discovery to the patient, and to strengthen preparedness for the health challenges of tomorrow."
The centre is expected to strengthen Abu Dhabi's contribution to global health security while supporting the development of local scientific talent and next-generation vaccine innovation capabilities. Additionally, it will help expand access to advanced vaccines and bolster preparedness for future public health challenges.
The HELM Cluster as an Enabler
A key enabler of the emirate's life sciences ecosystem is the Abu Dhabi Investment Office's (ADIO) HELM Cluster, which connects research, investment, commercialisation, and healthcare implementation within a single framework. By bringing together innovators, investors, industry partners, and healthcare stakeholders, HELM is designed to help translate scientific discovery into real-world impact more efficiently and at greater scale.
The MoU represents a significant step in Abu Dhabi's broader ambition to position itself as a hub for intelligent life sciences innovation, with vaccine development serving as a cornerstone of that strategy.