In a global context, which is characterized by the transformation of health systems, the United Arab Emirates come as the country of innovation and excellence. In order to understand the driving dynamics, we spoke to Romain Gerardin-Freesse, a renowned international legal expert, multiple winner in the Gulfregion and consultant for important industrial changes. He tells us the visionary strategy of the Emirates, the disruptive projects he advises, including pioneers in applied neurotechnology, and throws health diplomacy as a new influence instrument.
Mr. Gerardin-Freesse, you have been watching the transformations in the healthcare system in the region for several years. What makes the Emirates so unique in this area today?
Romain Gerardin-Fresse:
What distinguishes the Emirates is their ability to position health care as a problem of sovereignty, innovation and geopolitical projection. Under the leadership of visionary rulers like HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, the country understood early on that the 21st century of concerns for public health, preventive medicine, durability and applied artificial intelligence would be dominated. Instead, what a mere administrative sector could have remained has become a real strategic lever at the intersection of diplomacy, technology and human capital.
What do you think are the most visible markers of this enforceable guideline?
Romain Gerardin-Fresse:
Three basic elements stand out.
First, the acceleration of regulatory framework for biotechs, health techs and international medical operators is supported by cheap structures such as free zones such as Dubai Healthcare City or ADGM for digital healthcare companies.
Second, active support for applied research is, with sovereign asset funds that invest directly in medical startups with a high impact.
Finally, the development of the first -class infrastructure, both in the hospital and in the academic, integrating diagnostic technologies in the integration of top -class robotics and in the near future, medical devices for self -monitoring.
You mention innovative projects. You have communicated neurocare, a neurotechnology startup, in particular. What did you lead to this project in particular?
Romain Gerardin-Fresse:
Neurocare is exactly the kind of project that I am happy to support: a synergy between scientific excellence, social usefulness and brave entrepreneurship. Neurocare develops non-invasive solutions to improve cognitive functions, reduce anxiety disorders and to support the neurological development challenges. But beyond the technology itself was the overarching vision. This is not just a product, it is a therapeutic ecosystem.
From the first discussions I knew that this project required a strategic and legal framework that is as ambitious as its scientific proposal. We have worked to legally anchor the company within the Emirates, in particular through Dubai Silicon Oasis and RAK Digital Assets Oasis by structuring its intellectual property, financing mechanisms and international provision. This type of support – at the interface of law, influence of diplomacy and strategic foresight – is exactly what makes my job so rewarding.
Can the emirates in the healthcare system become a global model? Or are you just a hub, among other things?
Romain Gerardin-Fresse:
I don’t think the Emirates want to be “just another hub”. Your trajectory is not to imitate, but to redefine it. They want to be a sovereign platform for medical innovation, a living laboratory in which solutions can be tested, adapted and exported. Take a look at your reaction during pandemic: emergency logistics, vaccine diplomacy, controlled reopening … All of this has contributed to consolidating your status as a trustworthy actor.
In addition to crisis management, what is really impressive is your sustainable commitment: massive investments in biotech, partnerships with global institutions, the creation of elite hospitals such as the Clinic Clinic Abu Dhabi and the development of academic programs that are tailored to the challenges of tomorrow’s healthcare system. There is a controlled acceleration, a feeling of speed and projection, which in my opinion exceeds what we see elsewhere.
Would you say that this dynamic is part of a new form of “health performance”?
Romain Gerardin-Fresse:
Absolutely. The Emirates understood that the healthcare system is no longer just a domestic policy. It is an instrument of international influence. The use of hospital structures in under -provisioned regions, the establishment of scholarships for international researchers and the medical missions in countries that are undergoing a reconstruction again. All of this is part of a broader health diplomacy that not only improves their image but also their credibility.
People don’t just come here to get treatment. They come together to work together, be innovative and teach. In this new story, the medical sector becomes a universal language, a bridge between nations, a tool for permanent alliances. I saw through my mandates how structured, intentionally and completely used this vision.
You have mentioned interdisciplinarity. What do you see as the next steps in this Emirati ambitions?
Romain Gerardin-Fresse:
The future here will undoubtedly be interdisciplinary. The boundaries between medicine, technology, data science, artificial intelligence, ethics and law already fade. The projects of tomorrow will not only be medically; They will be systemic. And here strategic support assumes its full importance. It is no longer about advising a startup, but about building a coherent, safe and adaptable ecosystem.
We already see the development of telemedical behavior platforms, brain computer interfaces for chronic pain management and predictive medicine models that combine genetics and AI. These topics that may seem futuristic are indeed already in the emirates in the pilot phase. And precisely by the fact that the country knows how to identify such weak signals; Without suppressing them, regulate them that it becomes an irresistible magnet for the most demanding talents and capital.