Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) and the World Economic Forum (WEF) have jointly launched the Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2026 report, spotlighting the innovations most likely to reshape economies, industries, and societies in the years ahead.
The report was unveiled on the sidelines of the WEF's Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2026, held in Dalian, China, from 23 to 25 June. The summit, known as Summer Davos, brought together thousands of government officials, business leaders, and policymakers to address global challenges and emerging opportunities.
Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Managing Director of Dubai Future Foundation, underscored the value of the collaboration, noting that understanding and advancing emerging technologies is essential to accelerating human progress and equipping governments and institutions to navigate future transformations. He highlighted key sectors set to benefit, including healthcare, energy, food, education, and scientific research.
For the second consecutive year, DFF contributed to the report by participating in the evaluation and selection process, assessing each technology's future impact and application potential. The WEF led the broader analysis and trajectory assessments.
Technologies were selected based on three criteria: novelty, transformative potential, and their expected contribution to a more sustainable and prosperous future.
The ten technologies identified are Everything-to-Grid Energy, Direct Lithium Extraction, Passive Radiative Cooling Materials, PFAS Destruction Technologies, Precision Fermentation Micro-Factories, Exosome Drug Delivery, Personalised mRNA Cancer Vaccines, Quantum Simulation for Drug Discovery, World Models in Artificial Intelligence, and Lattice-Based Cryptography.
The report is aimed at governments, businesses, investors, policymakers, and researchers seeking to understand how these technologies may evolve and contribute to shaping the future.
News Source: Emirates News Agency
