Women's health receives only 20% of health research and development funding, despite representing a potential $1 trillion economic opportunity by 2040, according to the World Economic Forum's new Women's Health Innovation Radar. The radar, developed with the Kearney Health Institute, Gates Foundation and Wellcome Leap, analysed data from 2016 to 2025 across 10 high-impact conditions. It found that over half of women's health funding concentrates on just two areas—ovarian cancer and menopause—whilst conditions like ischemic heart disease and premenstrual syndrome receive minimal investment. Fewer than 2%–3% of clinical trials are women-specific. The research reveals three critical gaps: funding allocation, evidence gathering and product translation. Improving women's health could yield 75 million disability-adjusted life years annually and boost global GDP by $1 trillion by 2040.

The Technology Innovation Institute (TII) and the World Economic Forum have launched the Abu Dhabi Centre for Frontier Technologies during the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos. The new centre joins WEF's Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Global Network. The centre will focus on quantum computing, robotics, propulsion and space systems, and related AI applications. It aims to advance frontier research and development, shape global policy on emerging technologies, and foster international collaboration for real-world deployment. TII CEO Dr Najwa Aaraj said the centre will push boundaries of frontier R&D whilst enabling breakthrough science to move beyond the lab into practical application. Abu Dhabi joins other C4IR centres in countries including the US, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Japan and India, strengthening the UAE's position as a global hub for science and innovation.