Dubai Future Forum 2025 Reveals Comprehensive Agenda Featuring Key Themes And Global Speakers

The Dubai Future Forum, the largest gathering of futurists globally, has announced its agenda for the fourth edition. This event will feature over 70 keynotes, panels, and activities exploring forces shaping humanity's future. The two-day forum will also include public experiences and award ceremonies honouring global pioneers in future readiness and innovation.

Organised by the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) at the Museum of the Future, this forum will bring together more than 200 speakers and over 2,500 participants from 100 leading institutions worldwide. Discussions will cover five main themes: Exploring the Unknown, Empowering Societies, Reimagining Health, Optimising Systems, and Foresight Insights.

This year's forum extends beyond dialogue to include interactive foresight activations using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Extended Reality (XR) technologies. These include Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) applications, offering participants an experiential glimpse into innovation's frontiers.

The event will commence with a keynote by Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of Dubai Future Foundation. This address will set the tone for discussions on global foresight, innovation, and human progress. The opening plenary session titled "Building a Regenerative Society: How Do We Redesign Our Foundations?" features Dr Alaa Murabit from 500 Global in conversation with Indy Johar of Dark Matter Laboratories.

A session titled "Governance for the Long Term: How Can We Ensure Intergenerational Fairness?" will feature Lucie Berger, EU Ambassador to the UAE; Esala Nayasi from Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat; and Dr Cécile Aptel of UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight. Dr Florence Gaub from NATO Defence College will moderate this discussion.

Other highlights include "Mapping Inner Worlds: Can We Decode Human Consciousness?" featuring Dr Giulio Tononi from Wisconsin Institute for Sleep and Consciousness; neuroscientist Dr Anil Seth; and Dawn Nakagawa from Berggruen Institute. Additionally, "Teaching Futures: What Does It Take to Build Foresight Capacity Worldwide?" includes Sobhi Tawil (UNESCO), Dr Doris Viljoen (Stellenbosch Business School), Dr Kuo-Hua Chen (Tamkang University), and Dr Sohail Inayatullah, UNESCO Chair in Futures Studies.

Exploring Global R&D Potential

The session "Innovation Without Borders: How Do We Unlock the Full Power of Global R&D?" features Khalifa Al Qama from Dubai Future Labs; Max Mirgoli (imec); Carlos Nizam (Emirates Global Aluminium); and Tuya Altangerel from United Nations Development Programme. Another session titled "The Precision Leap: Is Healthcare Ready for the Age of Anticipation?" includes Dr Yacine Hadjiat (Dubai Health), Dr Jeffrey Glenn (Stanford University), Tina Woods (International Institute of Longevity), moderated by Dr Andy Poh (University of Birmingham).

Sessions will also explore culture, society, and markets intersections. "The Global Consumer 2035: What Are World Markets Telling Us About the Future?" features Linda Arvidsson (H&M Group), Anuradha Chugh (The Bio-Leadership Project), Michael Costigan (Salesforce), Meabh Quoirin (Foresight Factory). Another session titled "Ocean Breakthroughs: What Futures Await Beyond the Depths?" includes Dr Ulrike Pfreundt (rrreefs), Karim Iliya (Kogia), Dr Juan Antonio Romero (Dubai Economy & Tourism), moderated by Emily Sharp (The Pacific Community).

Awards Celebrating Innovation

The day concludes with the "Dubai Future Solutions - Prototypes for Humanity" Awards Ceremony celebrating innovations contributing to a better future for humanity. Day two opens with plenary sessions spotlighting cities, nature, human creativity. Marwan bin Ghalita from Dubai Municipality delivers a keynote titled "Urban Futures in Action: What Is Dubai’s Model for People-Centric Cities of the Future?".

This is followed by "From Molecules to Stars: What’s Next?" featuring Dr Nikku Madhusudhan from University of Cambridge and Dr Lorie Karnath from Molecular Frontiers Foundation. Later on, Anand Varma from WonderLab presents a keynote titled "A Future with Nature: Why Wonder Is Our Superpower".

Workshops on Vital Topics

Parallel thematic sessions delve into foresight as an engine for inclusion and collaboration. Discussions include "From Inclusion to Innovation: How Are Youth Redefining Foresight?", "Collaborative Foresight: How Can We Create Strong Connections?", and "The Art of Curating Tomorrow: How Can Spaces Enable Inclusive Futures?". Participants include Marina Piquet from Museum of Tomorrow, Megan Tamati-Quennel as Modern Maori Art Curator, Hassan Ragab from Hsnrgb Studio.

This year’s agenda includes immersive installations like Future Botanica (AR) linking digital nature with physical space; alongside The Art of Change (VR) exploring identity memory; Keepers of Forests (VR) offering an immersive journey into traditional knowledge biodiversity.

Diverse Workshop Programme

The forum also features diverse workshops across two days exploring topics such as assessing citizens' futures pulse or scenario labs imagining imagination as a valuable resource. Other workshops cover migration futures or alternative methods learning globally alongside roundtables on foresight scenario planning or achievable futures narratives empowering societies through storytelling.

The Dubai Future Solutions – Prototypes for Humanity 2025 initiative runs alongside at AREA 2071 Emirates Towers showcasing top innovative projects selected among over 3,000 submissions by students graduates professors representing more than 1,200 universities across 120 countries.

Honouring Innovators Globally

At event conclusion five exceptional innovators receive honours support developing groundbreaking ideas transforming them into real-world applications while announcing winners inaugural Dubai Foresight Awards launched under directives His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum celebrating visionary thinkers designers future globally highlighting achievements categories Foresight Changemakers People Planet.

The Forum hosts Future Stories Awards Ceremony honouring authors writers inspiring new generations futurists practitioners worldwide while introducing dedicated Book Corner featuring launches signings global authors thinkers publishers celebrating foresight literature expanding dialogue ideas shaping humanity's future.

With inputs from WAM