This partnership is closely aligned with the UAE's National Strategy for Higher Education 2030, particularly the Expanded Professional Experience initiative, which focuses on increasing students' exposure to real-world environments through practical training and applied projects.
Mohammed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) Signed multi-year cooperation agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS) It aims to advance research in artificial intelligence, strengthen technological capabilities and accelerate the growth of startups across the UAE and wider region.
This partnership is closely aligned with the UAE's National Strategy for Higher Education 2030, particularly the Expanded Professional Experience initiative, which focuses on increasing students' exposure to real-world environments through practical training and applied projects. This collaboration supports MBZUAI's mission to connect cutting-edge research to tangible social and economic impact by linking academic research and industrial applications.
Central to the agreement is the establishment of a strategic research program focused on conducting AI research in jointly agreed priority areas. Under this program, AWS will provide guidance on cloud infrastructure, technical mentorship, and related AWS programs in addition to making available a registry of public datasets through the AWS platform. MBZUAI will provide faculty expertise, research talent, and laboratory resources, and the two will work together to turn research concepts into high-impact practical solutions.
The collaboration will also support the launch of GenAI Academy, a new initiative designed to host hackathons for MBZUAI’s undergraduate students. These hackathons will focus on addressing challenges in government services, entrepreneurship, and social impact. In addition to this, AWS will provide a variety of training resources to enhance the cloud computing, AI, and machine learning skills of MBZUAI students, faculty, and staff, including instructor-led AWS classroom training and self-paced digital learning with AWS Skill Builder.
Additionally, MBZUAI's Incubation and Entrepreneurship Center, established in October 2023, will benefit from this partnership. Startups associated with centers that participate in the AWS Activate program receive promotional credits, technical assistance, and business mentorship from AWS to further support early-stage innovation and commercialization.
This strategic partnership strengthens MBZUAI's position as a national hub for applied AI research and innovation. By incorporating industry collaboration and practical experience into education and research, MBZUAI and AWS are contributing to the UAE's broader ambitions for digital transformation, talent development, and innovation-led economic growth.
