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NexaBridge is DCO’s open innovation platform that connects governments, companies, and institutions with startups, SMEs, researchers, and technology builders to define priority problems, develop and validate solutions, and create pathways to pilot, investment, procurement, and cross-border scale.
The NexaBridge pathway
Every challenge sets out its scope, eligibility, evaluation criteria, and progression pathway before applications open.
OPEN | GOVERNMENT OPEN INNOVATION
Build practical AI-enabled solutions to improve water security, efficiency, and resilience across the end-to-end water value chain. Solutions will be developed for validation in Saudi Arabia and potential adaptation across DCO Member States.
The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) have launched a partnership to advance AI capability building, responsible AI and open innovation, connecting developers, startups and digital talent with technical expertise, open technologies and continued learning opportunities.
The partnership was activated at LEAP 2026 through the DevDay Workshop, an interactive, hands-on session led by AMD technical experts. Participants explored AI technologies, tools and practical development approaches, alongside DCO perspectives on ethical and responsible AI and their application in moving from experimentation to real-world solutions.
Designed for developers, software engineers, AI practitioners, technical founders, university students and emerging tech talent, the collaboration will build on DevDay through continued technical training, mentorship, knowledge-sharing and open innovation opportunities, with potential expansion across interested DCO Member States.
Express your interest to participate in upcoming opportunities under the MCIT × DCO × AMD partnership, with further activities to be announced soon.
Too many innovation initiatives stop at the pitch stage. NexaBridge creates an accountable pathway from an evidence-based challenge to solution development, transparent evaluation, validation, controlled pilots, and wider adoption.
DCO convenes challenge owners, innovators, and ecosystem partners around clear problems, realistic constraints, and measurable outcomes, creating stronger foundations for implementation and cross-border replication.
Challenges begin with a defined institutional need.
Progression depends on user, technical, and operational proof.
Validated solutions can access cross-border pathways.
NexaBridge creates a common operating model for the institutions that own the problem and the innovators positioned to solve it.
Convert policy, service-delivery, and operational priorities into structured innovation pipelines with staged evaluation and lower-risk paths to validation and implementation.
Source relevant startups, SMEs, and innovators for defined business needs, proofs of concept, commercial partnerships, procurement pathways, and strategic innovation.
Work on real institutional and industry challenges, co-create with problem owners, build credible evidence, and access pathways to pilots, markets, investment, and partnership.
Contribute technical expertise, talent, infrastructure, mentorship, financing, or market access to challenges with defined needs and accountable progression gates.
Future Makers seeks mature AI-enabled solutions across five technology tracks spanning the water value chain, from supply and distribution to wastewater reuse and demand management:
The challenge targets existing solutions at Technology Readiness Levels 5–9. Selected teams will refine and demonstrate their solutions, with up to three potentially progressing to controlled validation, subject to technical assessment and institutional approval.
For ministries, regulators, cities, public agencies, and multilateral institutions seeking implementable solutions to public-sector priorities.
For companies seeking startup partnerships, proofs of concept, commercial pilots, procurement pathways, and new market opportunities.
For rapid ideation, prototype development, talent discovery, and early-stage innovation pipelines that can progress into incubation, STRIDE, or future NexaBridge challenges.
Does your government, company, or institution have a clearly defined problem that could benefit from external innovation?
DCO will structure the challenge, mobilize relevant talent and solutions, manage transparent evaluation, and design a pathway to validation, pilot, and scale.
Challenge submissions are reviewed for strategic relevance, problem-owner commitment, data feasibility, and implementation potential.
