Expo City Dubai Foundation Backs Seven Projects Addressing Extreme Heat in Global South
Each project will receive up to US$100,000 in funding, along with technical guidance, increased visibility and access to networking opportunities.
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Expo City Dubai Foundation has named seven projects for its latest Global Innovators Program, supporting solutions that tackle extreme heat challenges in the Global South.
The selected projects come from Egypt, Morocco, Peru, India and Nigeria, with implementation expected across South America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Each project will receive up to US$100,000 in funding, along with technical guidance, increased visibility and access to networking opportunities.
“The strong response is a testament to the wealth of ideas available to tackle extreme heat – a crucial and time-sensitive challenge that can only be successfully addressed by working collaboratively,” Yousuf Caires, Executive Director of Expo City Dubai Foundation, said. “These projects hold immense potential across a range of industries, and we are honored to play a small part in helping them scale.”
Caires added that the latest cohort marks a decade since its first group of innovators was announced in 2016 under the Expo Live initiative.
According to the foundation, the program has now supported more than 200 entrepreneurs from 97 countries and has impacted more than 6 million people worldwide.
The seven selected projects include Ecodome Maroc from Morocco, producing circular, high-performance bricks made using traditional techniques and local materials for insulated, sustainable infrastructure in rural and semi-arid areas; Fuselage Innovations Private Limited from India, using drone-driven analytics to detect heat stress and protect crop yields; and Greendeal from Peru, converting previously unrecyclable plastic into heat-resilient construction panels through proprietary thermo-compression technology.
Other projects include Mercredi Solutions Private Limited from India, transforming wheat straw into storable animal feed; Moon Innovations Limited from Nigeria, developing modular solar-energy systems securing food, health, and livelihood in climate-vulnerable areas; Resilience AI from India, turning AI-driven heat data into hyperlocal, live guidance for cooling interventions; and Visenleer from Egypt, producing passive-cooling textiles from ocean waste and seaweed.
The program’s eighth cohort received more than 1,000 applications from 84 countries, with winners selected by an independent judging panel that included representatives from Emirates Airline and ENGIE, a global energy and services group.
Expo City Dubai Foundation has named seven projects for its latest Global Innovators Program, supporting solutions that tackle extreme heat challenges in the Global South.
The selected projects come from Egypt, Morocco, Peru, India and Nigeria, with implementation expected across South America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Each project will receive up to US$100,000 in funding, along with technical guidance, increased visibility and access to networking opportunities.
“The strong response is a testament to the wealth of ideas available to tackle extreme heat – a crucial and time-sensitive challenge that can only be successfully addressed by working collaboratively,” Yousuf Caires, Executive Director of Expo City Dubai Foundation, said. “These projects hold immense potential across a range of industries, and we are honored to play a small part in helping them scale.”
Entrepreneur Middle East Staff
Entrepreneur Staff
