Digital Planning and Gulf Medical University formalised a strategic partnership during the International Conference on Advances in Artificial Intelligence for Society (ICA2S).
The agreement was signed in the UAE by Chancellor, Professor Manda Venkatramana, marking an international industry-academia collaboration.
This partnership will further advance the development of Digital Planning’s AI resource allocation platform Metis – in direct response to genuine, frontline healthcare challenges.
By collaborating closely with GMU’s clinical experts to address real-world healthcare constraints, the partnership will ensure Metis is shaped to solve critical healthcare challenges through artificial intelligence.
This initiative combines deep medical domain knowledge and technical expertise, so future Metis deployments align with genuine clinical needs and operational demands.
Mark Underwood, co-founder of Digital Planning said: “Our partnership with Gulf Medical University is designed from the outset to eliminate guesswork.
“By working alongside GMU’s healthcare experts to map out the critical constraints from actual practice, we are ensuring Metis will not just be innovative – but truly impactful for clinicians, administrators, and patients alike.”
The conference brought together industry partners including Digital Planning, Zoom, and Turnitin, reflecting global leadership in the future of AI-driven healthcare and education.
Co-founder James Ferraby and CSO Ben Hutchings represented Digital Planning in industry panel discussions – emphasising the power of dynamic, industry-academia partnerships to accelerate practical AI breakthroughs.
James Ferraby, co-founder of Digital Planning, added: “Solving the biggest challenges in healthcare requires more than just advanced algorithms; it takes working closely with world-class clinical teams.
“Our collaboration with GMU means Metis will be built around real practice, ensuring our technology delivers genuine value where it matters most.”
The event, featuring collaboration between Thumbay College of Management and the Indian Institute of Information Technology, highlighted how hands-on partnerships are essential for accelerating real-world innovation in critical sectors like healthcare.
