The QInnovision World Challenge, a featured program of the Quantum Innovation Summit 2025 in Dubai, was established under Vernewell Group’s Quantum Technology Adoption Program. As the first quantum industry challenge of its kind in the Middle East, powered by Aqora and in partnership with the Center for Quantum and Topological Systems (CQTS) at New York University, Abu Dhabi, the initiative brought together quantum solution providers, academic researchers, startups, enterprise teams, and industry giants from around the world to work on high-impact quantum solutions for complex problems.
The challenge was designed to showcase quantum capabilities, build capacity in the region, and encourage scalable solutions in fields such as logistics, security, and healthcare. The program emphasized real-world use cases, strategic exploration, and global inclusion.
Among the most compelling challenges in this inaugural edition was one contributed by Merck, a global leader in healthcare innovation. The industry giant’s focus was on healthy aging, a domain that combines clinical relevance, scientific depth, and personal resonance. The challenge was led by Thomas Ehmer, Senior Expert in Digital Transformation at Merck, who brought forward a vision grounded in scientific rigor and human impact.
“We shared a general challenge to identify drivers for healthy aging, we wanted to explore the potential entanglement of factors influencing healthy aging for the general population – and use novel paradigms to leverage quantum features to model the causal relations and evaluate potential life-prolonging interventions and measures. Our goal was to bring together bright minds to tackle the most pressing issues related to aging and to foster collaborative innovation for a healthier, longer lifespan in our and future generations.” — Thomas Ehmer
Long-Term Strategy Backed by Science and Purpose
Merck’s challenge reflected its long-standing commitment to complex healthcare needs. A global innovator in specialty medicine, the company focuses on therapies for chronic and rare conditions with significant unmet demand. Its broader strategy extends beyond current capabilities to areas where emerging technologies, like quantum computing, might shape tomorrow’s standards of care and humanity’s future.
In a conversation with Thomas, it quickly becomes clear that Merck’s approach to quantum innovation is grounded in scientific pragmatism. The company is focused on understanding where quantum capabilities can support real clinical and research needs, particularly in areas where classical computational methods reach their limits.
“Quantum isn’t just a new way to compute,” said Thomas. “It’s an opportunity to rethink how we approach complex biological and chemical systems that demand a fundamentally different level of modeling and simulation.”
Thomas points to the dual promise of quantum in healthcare, both in sensing and computing, as a powerful area for long-term exploration. He emphasized that quantum technologies are reshaping healthcare along multiple fronts. While quantum sensors deliver precision data previously unattainable, quantum computing addresses problems where classical methods face fundamental limitations. He also highlighted that at Merck, the team is working with partners across the quantum ecosystem to identify where the first practical advances could emerge, whether in molecular simulation, optimization, or machine learning.
“Together with our peers across the quantum industry we are making strides in material simulations, optimization problems, and specialized machine learning applications. We align with the industry consensus that solving relevant healthcare problems requires further technological advancement in both hardware and software, or perhaps entirely new modeling paradigms. This is precisely why we are investigating novel approaches and actively seeking creative proposals from curious participants. The strategic impact of quantum in healthcare isn’t about immediate transformation, but rather building the foundation for breakthrough applications through exploration and cross-disciplinary collaboration that will ultimately revolutionize how we understand and address complex challenges like aging. While we recognize that practical quantum advantage may require further technological progress, we’re positioning ourselves at the forefront of this field through strategic partnerships and research initiatives.” — Thomas Ehmer
Thomas’s perspective reflects Merck’s position as both a scientific contributor and an industry enabler, focused not on immediate disruption, but on creating the groundwork for meaningful, long-term change. The company’s efforts in quantum healthcare are part of a broader strategy that values curiosity, collaboration, and technological stewardship.
This mindset also shaped how Merck approached the competition itself: not just as a platform for submitting a challenge, but as an opportunity to discover what’s possible when diverse ideas and talents converge with shared purpose.
Inclusive Innovation with Global Reach
Among the many submissions Merck received, one stood out for both its scientific clarity and the story behind it. A winning team of three young researchers from Saudi Arabia — Nujud Senan, Sulafah Noruldeen, and Areej Almuhayya — presented a solution that combined quantum computing with transformer-based machine learning to identify RNA-based markers linked to aging. Their hybrid approach demonstrated how quantum-classical systems could enhance prediction and pattern identification in age-related biological data.
For Thomas, this outcome underscored one of the most important aspects of the competition, which reverberates with Vernewell Group’s ethos: the power of diversity in science and the value of welcoming new perspectives into emerging fields, proving that inclusive collaboration across genders and cultures drives scientific breakthroughs in emerging technologies.
“Their victory in this Merck Healthcare-sponsored challenge highlights how curiosity-driven research and optimistic persistence can lead to innovative solutions for age-old problems, even when initial skepticism exists about quantum advantage in healthcare applications.” — Thomas Ehmer
A Model for Future-Focused Collaboration
Beyond defining the challenge, Thomas played an active role throughout the competition, coaching teams and serving as a jury member. His reflections on the event reinforce why platforms like QInnovision Consortium are increasingly important, not just for discovering promising technologies, but for shaping the environment where responsible innovation can thrive.
“I am a strong advocate of diversity and curiosity. Competitions like QInnovision create invaluable ecosystems where knowledge flows many ways. I coached teams, but equally learned from their fresh perspectives,” said Thomas. He added, “Serving on the jury, I witnessed firsthand how the posed challenges attract diverse talent, from brave juniors to seasoned professionals, all contributing unique approaches to quantum innovation. Such competitions bridge industry needs with quantum expertise, accelerating practical applications while fostering global connections that persist beyond the event itself.”
The brilliance demonstrated by all finalists, coupled with the commitment of industry partners, the discernment of the judges and the guidance of dedicated mentors, highlights the value of platforms like the QInnovision World Challenge. These initiatives go beyond competitions; they serve as active laboratories for collaboration. Connecting disciplines, industries, and regions, they create conditions where quantum innovation can move from theory into practice.
Looking Ahead
The QInnovision World Challenge was not designed to predict where quantum is going. It was built to support the voices, ideas, and partnerships that will help guide it responsibly.
Through its involvement, Merck demonstrated how global industry can lead with clarity, foresight, and purpose. In the field of healthy aging, and the many intersecting fields it touches, quantum is unlikely to offer overnight solutions. But it is opening new ways of thinking, and Merck is helping shape that conversation now, with an eye toward meaningful results in the future.
For Thomas and his team, this challenge was never just about proof of concept. It was about building trust, opening doors, and reinforcing the belief that when innovation is rooted in collaboration and guided by real human needs, it moves forward in ways that last.
The End
