Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum approved the Dubai Longevity Authority’s strategy and budget, advancing regulatory plans and supervised pilots in a bid to build a new health sector.
The Dubai government announced the approval Sept. 27, after the authority’s first board meeting. Its priorities include strengthening regulation, conducting supervised pilots and developing a market for longevity-related services and products. The authority is designing a program for selected innovators to test and develop products under supervision, but officials have not given it a start date.
Law No. (17) of 2026, issued June 6, established the authority as a public corporation. The law tasks it with developing rules for covered activities, including research and development, clinical trials, medical services and related products. Providers conducting those activities must obtain permits.
The law also allows the authority to charge fees for its services, though it does not set a fee schedule. Its stated aims include attracting companies and talent, building research partnerships and supporting residents’ and visitors’ health through science-based activities.
The National and Gulf News reported that the strategy sets an ambition for the sector to grow by about 31% a year and contribute more than Dh35 billion to the economy over 10 years. The National also reported that Abu Dhabi’s Department of Health announced a similar commitment to precision medicine and longevity science in April 2025.
Gulf News reported Nov. 5 that Dr Jaffer Khan, CEO and founder of AEON Clinic and Aesthetics International, said residents might receive more expansive checkups and have diseases detected earlier within three to five years. “Longevity is not a single treatment or a quick fix,” Khan said.
The Dubai government says the authority plans to build its regulatory capacity and develop partnerships and frameworks for data and intellectual property. It has not provided dates for those steps or the pilot program.
