MBRIF-backed, UAE Future100 health innovator offers interactive, bilingual STEM and wellbeing experiences for all ages at Kite Beach, Zabeel Park and Dubai Run, building on its UAE journey through science and public engagement
DUBAI, UAE – 11 November 2026 – This November, visitors to P4ML’s activations at Kite Beach and Zabeel Park during the 10th edition of Dubai Fitness Challenge (DFC) can explore the science behind everyday movement. Through live podcasts, webinars and hands-on STEM demonstrations, all offered in Arabic and English, P4ML, a UAE Future100 company, shows how 30 minutes of daily activity supports wellbeing, recovery, sleep and lifelong health.
Launched in 2017 by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, DFC has grown into one of the world’s largest community fitness movements. It encourages residents and visitors to complete 30 minutes of physical activity every day for 30 days. More than 3 million people took part in 2025, and the Challenge has inspired more than 16 million participations across its first nine editions.
The programme comes as Dubai continues to invest in science and innovation, including the recently announced Nad Zabeel research, development and innovation campus, which is expected to bring together more than 30,000 scientists, researchers and entrepreneurs each year. With this growing focus on STEM, P4ML hopes many young people and families will see the Dubai Fitness Challenge as a first step towards an exciting career in science. By explaining movement, hydration, sleep and nutrition in everyday language, P4ML aims to act as a catalyst for STEM education across the city.
“Dubai Fitness Challenge is about making it easier for people of all ages and abilities to discover activities they enjoy and make physical activity part of their daily lives, well beyond the 30 days of the Challenge,” said Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE). “P4ML’s activities at this year’s Fitness Villages bring an educational dimension to that experience, helping people discover how movement, science and wellbeing come together in fun and engaging ways.”
Thirty days of discovery, two destinations
From 31 October to 29 November, P4ML’s activities at two of the Challenge’s Fitness Villages explore the connections between movement, sport, space and science.
At Kite Beach, P4ML hosts interactive podcasts and webinars with scientists, academics, athletes and partners, alongside its beach volleyball activation. Open to everyone, the sessions explore more advanced science, with content particularly suited to graduates and working professionals through to retirement age. Complex topics are explained in everyday language, from how the body works to what movement does for muscle function, brain health, sleep and healthy ageing. Visitors can also try smart bikes and an interactive AI wellbeing experience, while artwork at the courts explores the connection between movement, DNA and metabolism.
At Zabeel Park, activities are designed with younger visitors and families especially in mind, while welcoming all ages. The Cricket Arena explores the “Science of the Shot”, using the sport to introduce heart health, core strength, sleep and hydration. Nearby, “Tír na nÓg to Mars” brings together the Irish legend of the Land of Youth and the adventure of space travel. Inspired by the UAE’s space programme, children and teenagers learn the healthy habits astronauts rely on to stay fit, active and healthy in space, and why those same habits matter for future careers in science. Visitors can also explore how research in microgravity is advancing science, from understanding the human body to new drug discovery, a topic P4ML has previously discussed at the Museum of the Future.
Across both villages, children aged four to 17 can take part in themed STEM activities, exploring the engineering inside a smart bike and the role of data science in understanding wellbeing, while secondary school leavers and graduates can attend talks on future careers in science, space and health. P4ML is also Official Partner of Dubai Run.
Every experience is offered in Arabic and English, and the programme aims to create a welcoming environment for visitors of all ages and abilities, including People of Determination.
Healthy habits for every generation
At the heart of the programme is the idea that healthy habits can be encouraged from an early age and supported throughout life. A child learning how their heart works and a grandparent learning how movement supports mobility are part of the same story.
P4ML’s name reflects its approach. P4 stands for healthcare that is Predictive, Preventive, Personalised and Participatory, and ML stands for MultiOMICS Laboratories. Its emblem, Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, stands for health for all of humanity. The Dubai Fitness Challenge brings the “Participatory” element to life, sharing science with the public in the places where people already move.
“The Dubai Fitness Challenge is a natural next step for us,” said Patrick J. Moloney, Founder and CEO of P4ML. “We’re taking science out of the lecture hall and onto the beach and into the park. Thirty minutes a day is a simple message, and the science behind it belongs to everyone, at every stage of life. We want people to leave knowing why they should come back tomorrow.”
Part of Dubai’s innovation ecosystem
P4ML began its UAE journey at Dubai Future Accelerators, moved into AREA 2071, and has been backed by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Innovation Fund. Through MBRIF’s Innovation Accelerator programme, P4ML received strategic guidance, and access to subject-matter experts across MBRIF’s wider network of government, industry and ecosystem partners, helping the company strengthen its UAE presence and explore opportunities for growth and collaboration.
The company was subsequently named a UAE Future100 company in 2024 and 2025, while the team has also spoken twice in the Future Experts Series at the Museum of the Future.
“It is inspiring to see the Triple Helix innovation model in action in Dubai,” said Moloney. “Government, industry and academia, together with SMEs like ours and the programmes launched by the UAE’s leadership, are making it possible for people to learn how their bodies move at this 10th edition of the Challenge, and to discover careers in STEM. We share the UAE’s ambition to be a global STEM capital, and we’re excited to help every participant understand how their body works.”
For more information about Dubai Fitness Challenge, visit http://www.dubaifitnesschallenge.com.
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