University Of Dubai, IBM Partner To Set Up Smarter Cities Institute In Dubai

Global tech giant IBM has partnered with the University of Dubai to establish a Smarter Cities Institute in the emirate, it was announced on Tuesday.

Located at the University of Dubai’s campus, the centre will focus on curriculum development mainly around mobility, cloud, security and business analytics.

It will help businesses, universities and city-administrators develop and test solutions for future urban demands and smart city challenges, a joint statement said.

The institute will support Dubai’s aim to transform into a Smart City, a project launched by Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in October last year.

The project hopes to ensure that government services will be accessible, quick and efficient through the use of hi-tech smart devices and it will enable the public to transact with public departments using smartphones.

Dr. Easa Bastaki, president of University of Dubai said: “By collaborating with a global leader like IBM, we will be able to support the development of a strong human capital innovation ecosystem and expand our research capabilities to address the societal and economical challenges inherent to the smart cities urban development.”

The new centre will help provide business and technology skills needed to support the smarter cities and smarter government agendas, and also enable students and faculty members to conduct research focused on the economic development of the UAE.

One of the possible topics for research will be the use of analytics by governments and how it can improve the delivery and effectiveness of public sector services, the statement said.

Under the agreement, the University of Dubai also becomes an IBM academic partner. The IBM Academic Initiative is a global programme that currently includes partnerships with over 1,000 universities across the globe, focusing on big data and analytics.