Advanced Technology Pioneers 2026 brings together three of Abu Dhabi’s leading organisations: DCT Abu Dhabi, EDGE Group, and ENEC, each with a real, unsolved problem – predicting tourism demand from flight data, keeping connections seamless across wireless networks, and managing jellyfish blooms near critical infrastructure.

This challenge features 3 sponsor tracks, each with its own problem statement. No, teams may submit an application to only one challenge statement.

Participants must apply in teams of 3–4 members.

• Each team will require at least one UAE national among them to be eligible.
• Team members need to reside in the UAE (have either UAE Passport or Emirates ID).
• Bachelor’s and Master’s students and recent graduates (graduated in 2025–2026) are eligible to apply.
• Team members should be able to showcase their solution during Demo Days at the UAE’s largest Science Fair – NSTI Festival, taking place in November 2026.
• If you’re under 18 as of the date of submission, you’ll need to include this declaration as part of the application form.

• Application deadline: 11 October 2026
• Shortlisting result announcement: 25 October 2026

For shortlisted teams:

• Mentoring phase: 26 October – November 2026
• Demo Day: November 2026 – More details to follow

To ensure a diverse mix of skills and a manageable workload, teams must consist of 3–4 members. We find this range is the “sweet spot” for effective, interdisciplinary brainstorming and rapid execution.

Yes. You don’t need a pre-formed team to sign up. You can either start a new team and recruit team members, or apply to join an existing team. Use the platform to share your profile, browse other participants’ skills, and join forces with like-minded innovators across any sponsor track.

To add or hire team members, please follow these steps:

• Go to “My Space”.
• Click the project name where you want to add team members.
• Open the “Team” tab and update the team details by adding a short recruitment message and the skills you are looking for.
• Next, go to the “Hiring” tab. Here, you will see a list of candidates. You can chat with them or invite them directly to join your team. You can also view pending applications and choose to chat with, accept or decline applicants.

No, we encourage interdisciplinary teams – combining perspectives across engineering, business, and design often produces the strongest, most technically credible concepts and prototype development. Take the ATRC Career Test to understand which team role fits you the most.

Teams may use AI tools to support their work. Any use should be declared, and teams should be able to explain their solution, decisions, and results in their own words.