Founded in 2010 through a $150 million gift from the government of Abu Dhabi, the mission of the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation (SZI) is to make pediatric surgery more precise, less invasive, and pain free.

In its very short existence, the Institute lists among many achievements creating a strong infrastructure for R&D and a network of product and medical device development experts, and seasoned veterans in venture capital, technology commercialization, and intellectual property. The institute is process-driven and outcome-focused. It is comprised of multi-disciplinary teams that apply rigorous process management from conception to marketed product through creative partnerships in academia and industry. 

The Institute was founded with four major clinical themes to transform pediatric surgical innovation and intervention. These are in:

• pediatric pain and anesthesia
• immunology
• bioengineering
• systems biology

The Institute currently has more than 20 investigators primarily affiliated with the institute and more than 70 technical and scientific staff, including postgraduate and graduate students and fellows. The Institute is further supported by, and has access to, more than 600 clinicians and clinician-scientists with Children’s National and the Research and Education, the research arm of Children’s National.