Dubai Creates Longevity Authority, Names Crown Prince as President
Law No. 17 of 2026 establishes the Dubai Longevity Authority, with Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed as president and Helal Saeed Almarri as chairman.
Dubai has set up a dedicated authority for longevity, wellness and advanced healthcare, created by Law No. 17 of 2026 with a mandate to regulate the sector and channel investment into it.
The Dubai Longevity Authority is intended to make the emirate a global centre for regulated longevity and advanced medical services. Two decrees fix its leadership. Decree No. 14 of 2026 names Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, as the authority's president. Decree No. 15 appoints Helal Saeed Almarri, director general of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, as its chairman.
A regulator for the whole chain
The authority is charged with writing and enforcing a framework for longevity therapies that is grounded in science and calibrated to risk. Its licensing and oversight run the length of the value chain, from research and development and clinical trials through manufacturing and delivery to the clinics that treat patients.
It was launched in coordination with the Dubai Health Authority, Dubai Health, Dubai Municipality and the Dubai Future Foundation, and is to align its work with international standards so the sector meets recognised benchmarks for quality and compliance.
The case from the top
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, framed the authority around the idea that the true wealth of nations is their people, and that the UAE's most important investment has been in the health of its citizens, their quality of life and their capacity to contribute, create and innovate.
He set out an ambition for Dubai to lead the future of healthcare through life sciences, biotechnology and medical innovation, with every scientific advance expected to produce practical benefits. Serving humanity, he said, remains the ultimate purpose of spending on science, knowledge and innovation. Dubai's goal, in his account, is to be the world's leading hub for longevity, wellness and advanced healthcare, to set new benchmarks in health and quality of life, and to draw in leading researchers and companies.
Why investors are being courted
Almarri described longevity, wellness and advanced health as one of the fastest-growing economic frontiers globally, and said Dubai is positioning itself to capture the opportunities it presents. The authority, he said, will offer regulatory certainty across research, trials, manufacturing, delivery and patient care, creating a sovereign market for advanced therapeutic products and services that can attract capital, build industrial capability and specialised talent, and move technology and business models into the local economy.
That work is tied to the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33, which targets a place among the top three global cities for quality of life, and to the Dubai Social Agenda 33, which targets a leading position in healthy life expectancy.
The priorities
- Frameworks that allow safe experimentation and growth in advanced therapies.
- Drawing on expertise from outside the emirate.
- Attracting and investing in high-potential companies.
- Promoting collaboration and dialogue through international events.
The broader aim is an environment where advanced therapies, preventive interventions, clinical innovation and ethical practice advance together.
Its licensing remit starts with laboratory research and ends in the clinic.
