Expo City Dubai Global Innovators Programme 2025 for Young Innovators (Up To USD 100,000 grant)

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Applications are open for Expo City Dubai Global Innovators Programme 2025. A reflection of Expo 2020 Dubai’s – and now Expo City Dubai Foundation’s – long-term commitment to supporting innovations that deliver positive social, economic and environmental change. Based on the belief that impact entrepreneurship is a valuable investment and a powerful instrument for positive change, the Global Innovator Programme supports innovators through a combination of grants, innovation challenges and knowledge-sharing.

Expo City Dubai Foundation’s Global Innovators Programme brought together hundreds of innovators, creating a global community of those who are bold and ambitious, those that care and do good – and together. Through 190+ projects from 85+ countries, the Programme has created a positive impact for over 5.8 million people worldwide For the 8th cycle, Expo City Dubai Foundation is searching for social enterprises with innovative solutions addressing extreme heat, one of the most urgent and rapidly intensifying challenges driven by climate change.

Expo City Dubai Global Innovators Focus Areas

This 2025 cohort is focused on extreme heat in humanitarian and emergency settings.
Solutions may include:

Cooling shelters or infrastructure
Off-grid energy systems
Health tech innovations to respond to heat-related risks
Water and food resilience tools designed for hot and challenging environments

Benefits

Grants of up to USD 100,000 per project
International exposure
Business and partnership opportunities
Partnership opportunities

Eligibility Criteria for Expo City Dubai Global Innovators

Applicants should meet the following:

A legally registered social enterprise, startup, SME, or non-profit
Demonstrable social, environmental, or humanitarian impact
Must be prototype-ready or beyond — not just in idea stage
Operating in or based in the Global South is a priority for this cohort
Good organisational capacity, clear impact plans, and realistic scaling or replication strategies