Hub71 and Unilabs Partner to Support HealthTech Innovation in Abu Dhabi
Hub71 has partnered with European diagnostics company Unilabs to support the development and commercial adoption of HealthTech and life sciences technologies in Abu Dhabi. Unilabs will join Hub71+ Life Sciences as an anchor market partner, connecting startups with its diagnostic and imaging capabilities, clinical expertise and healthcare network. The partnership will enable startups to explore technology integrations, proof-of-concept projects and potential commercial collaborations.
The companies said the partnership is already supporting collaborations between Unilabs and Hub71 startups Takalam and GlycanAge, covering mental health, preventative care and biological-age testing. Under the partnership, Unilabs will also provide startups with market insight and mentorship, while supporting scientific development and engagement with the wider life sciences sector through Unilabs Academy, its research arm.
The collaboration with Takalam, a digital mental health platform, will combine Takalam’s digital wellbeing services with Unilabs’ diagnostic capabilities. The companies are developing an offering that uses selected health assessments and tests to generate additional health insights that can support personalised wellbeing plans and interventions.
For Unilabs, the collaboration also represents its entry into the mental health sector. Unilabs has also partnered with GlycanAge following clinical evaluation and approval of its technology. GlycanAge’s biological-age testing solution has been introduced across Unilabs’ healthcare network, supported by training, clinical education and engagement with healthcare providers.
The companies are using the collaboration to introduce glycan-testing technologies and methodologies to the region, with a focus on preventative and data-driven healthcare. Basma Ahmed AlBadi AlDhaheri, Head of Growth and Value Creation at Hub71, said the partnership demonstrates how connections between established healthcare organisations and startups can support the development and adoption of new technologies. “By bringing Unilabs together with startups like Takalam and GlycanAge, we are turning startup innovation into economic value for Abu Dhabi,” she said.
Salah Bahri, Chief Strategy Officer of Unilabs Middle East, said the partnership provides a route for the company to identify startups working across diagnostics, digital health and life sciences and explore their integration into its laboratories, healthcare network and services. “Our work with Takalam and GlycanAge demonstrates the potential to create new healthcare offerings while advancing longer-term scientific research,” he said.
Hub71+ Life Sciences was launched in 2025 with the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, the Emirates Drug Establishment and the Health, Endurance, Longevity and Medicine (HELM) cluster as founding partners. The programme connects startups with regulators, healthcare providers, investors and industry partners to support the development and market adoption of biotechnology, medical technology and digital health solutions. Unilabs’ addition as an anchor market partner expands the programme’s access to clinical expertise and healthcare infrastructure.
