A new report from the UAE-UK Business Council has outlined how Britain and the United Arab Emirates can strengthen cooperation in artificial intelligence and healthcare to drive innovation in precision medicine and genomics.
The white paper, Opportunities for UK-UAE Collaboration in AI in Healthcare, highlights how closer alignment between policymakers, healthcare professionals, researchers and businesses in both countries could help unlock the full potential of AI by improving data sharing and regulatory coordination.
The report includes contributions from Gerard Hanratty, Head of Health and Life Sciences at UK law firm Browne Jacobson. Drawing on his experience in public law and health regulation, Hanratty advised on key barriers to AI integration, such as fragmented access to anonymised patient data, a lack of harmonised data standards and limited cross-border data-sharing frameworks.
“Data holds the key to addressing many of the challenges faced by state-based healthcare systems like the NHS, such as driving the shift from curing to preventing disease, but only if harnessed in the right way,” said Hanratty.
“Collaborating with our international partners is integral to realising the full potential of AI by ensuring healthcare data can be shared across borders for research and development of new medicines, treatments and technologies.”
He added that a strong UK health data strategy and agile regulatory frameworks were essential to ensure AI could be effectively embedded in healthcare systems without falling behind technological advances.
The report makes seven key recommendations for policymakers, including the creation of a bilateral data adequacy framework to facilitate AI-driven healthcare innovation and the establishment of knowledge-sharing initiatives to improve interoperability, develop skills, and enhance public understanding of AI’s role in health and wellbeing.
Other proposals include joint work on global standards for responsible AI use, “twinning” digital health testbeds, and a mentorship network linking start-ups with AI, genomics and healthcare experts in both countries.
Bradley Jones, Executive Director of the UAE-UK Business Council, said: “The transformative impact of AI will arguably be felt more in the healthcare sector than any other industry. By leveraging their complementary strengths – the UK’s agile regulatory frameworks and academic research, and the UAE’s innovation-driven health ecosystem – both countries will be able to forge an ambitious new partnership in enabling AI to transform the healthcare sector.”
The UAE-UK Business Council, which brings together business leaders, academics and government representatives, said the initiative builds on a growing £23.8 billion annual trade and investment relationship between the two nations.
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