About Us

This page provides key information about the UAE Hackathon — a national event that brings together innovators to solve real challenges and drive impact through technology and collaboration.

Vision and Mission

Vision and mission

Vision:
To position the UAE as a global leader in human-centered, AI-enabled digital innovation, where government, society, and technology converge to create a seamless, inclusive, secure, and future-ready digital ecosystem that enhances quality of life and strengthens national cohesion.

Mission:
To serve as a national co-creation platform that empowers youth, professionals, entrepreneurs, and government entities to collaboratively design and develop practical, scalable solutions for real national challenges. The Hackathon translates the UAE’s strategic priorities, such as digital government transformation, cybersecurity, zero bureaucracy, and AI adoption, into actionable innovations by leveraging emerging technologies, secure data environments, and structured government engagement.

It aims to accelerate the development of impactful solutions that enhance family well-being, improve government service excellence, strengthen digital trust, and enable a more efficient, inclusive, and agile public sector aligned with the UAE’s long-term vision.

Strategic Goals

Expanding participation while improving the quality, diversity, and retention of innovators to strengthen the overall impact of the program.

Ensuring that hackathon challenges and solutions are aligned with government priorities and structured to enable real adoption by public entities.

Supporting promising startups after the hackathon through funding, mentorship, and acceleration to transform ideas into viable prototypes or MVPs.

Integrating artificial intelligence throughout the hackathon process to optimize participant matching, mentoring, evaluation, and impact tracking.

Enhancing the program’s international visibility and influence by connecting winners, mentors, and outcomes with global innovation ecosystems and events.

Beyond Ideas … Into Impact

The 9th edition of the UAE Hackathon is launched under the slogan “Beyond Ideas … Into Impact”, with a strategic focus this year on transforming high-quality innovative ideas into practical, implementable solutions supported by scalable and sustainable business models. As a leading national open innovation platform, the Hackathon operates a comprehensive, multi-stakeholder ecosystem to achieve this objective through the alignment and integration of efforts across key partners, where:
• Government entities collaborate with community members to identify and define challenges and co-develop solutions
• The private sector and technology companies contribute their specialized expertise and advanced technical capabilities
• Universities and academic institutions provide knowledge, research support, and innovation methodologies
• Civil society organizations offer field-based insights that reflect real community needs

Building on this integrated approach, the Hackathon invites innovators from across sectors in the UAE to engage in meaningful collaboration to develop innovative technological solutions for the country’s most pressing national challenges, contributing to tangible and sustainable impact at the national level.

UAE Hackathon, at a glance

Viewed as the largest competitive and support program for innovation at the national level, the UAE Hackathon reflects the efforts of the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) to disseminate the culture of digital transformation in the country and generate effective solutions to critical future and current challenges.
Now in its 9th edition, the Hackathon provides an opportunity for different segments of the society including university and high school students, entrepreneurs, employed people, IT experts and government employees to use open data as a tool for coming up with solutions based on specific themes and challenges listed for the hackathon.

Emerging Technology Fields at the UAE Hackathon 2026

Participants are encouraged to utilize advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Internet of Things, Blockchain, Cybersecurity, and Big Data to develop innovative solutions. These cutting-edge tools play a vital role in enabling impactful outcomes that support the UAE’s vision for digital transformation and future readiness.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning (ML)

Technologies that enable systems to learn from data, make decisions, and improve performance over time.

AI Agent

Autonomous systems designed to perceive, reason, and act intelligently to achieve specific goals.

Intelligent Chatbots

Conversational tools powered by AI that interact with users naturally and efficiently across platforms.

Internet of Things (IoT)

A network of connected devices that collect and exchange real-time data to enhance decision-making.

Blockchain

A secure, decentralized digital ledger technology that ensures transparency and trust in data transactions.

Cybersecurity Technologies

Solutions designed to protect digital systems, networks, and data from cyber threats and attacks.

Big Data and Data Analytics

Techniques for analyzing large and complex datasets to uncover insights, trends, and informed decisions.

Other Trending Technologies

Emerging tools and innovations shaping the future, such as augmented reality, quantum computing, and robotics.

Powerd by

The UAE Hackathon is a pioneering initiative introduced by the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA). This program reflects TDRA's commitment to fostering community engagement and advancing digital transformation at the federal level.

The UAE Hackathon brings together a diverse range of participants, including local eGovernments across the UAE, several federal government entities, and private sector organizations. A comprehensive list of participating entities will be published on the official UAE Hackathon webpage.