AURAK Signs MoU with ICT Fund

The American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority’s (TRA) ICT Fund.

The agreement was signed at the GITEX technology exhibition currently being hosted at the Dubai World Trade Centre, by the AURAK president, Professor Hassan Hamdan Al Alkim and H.E. Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, director general of the TRA.

The partnership will see the ICT Fund supporting AURAK’s School of Engineering through the funding of infrastructure development and state-of-the-art equipment. The fund will also provide financial support towards the university’s research within the field of technology.

Commenting on the agreement, Prof. Al Alkim stated, “The relationship is very logical, especially considering that we’ve worked closely with the ICT Fund in the past. AURAK, and particularly our School of Engineering, is highly active in terms of research and the provision of innovative solutions. We offer a number of technology-based programs, such as Computer Engineering, and we look forward to further cooperation with the ICT Fund.”

H.E. Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori added, “The TRA has placed innovation as one of the top priorities among its programs by providing educational scholarships and harnessing the innovation spirit among students. ICT is a major factor in innovation. The TRA considers itself to be an essential partner of the education sector in promoting creativity and developing technologies out of their innovations.”

The ICT Fund was launched in 2008 by the TRA “to achieve rapid, progressive and concrete developments within the ICT sector in the UAE” and actively provides support within the fields of “intellectual capital, technological leadership, smart research and innovative ideas.” The fund’s value is worth AED 3.4 million (US $930,000).

AURAK is a co-educational, state-owned institution of higher education that provides an integrated North American-style, undergraduate and graduate education. AURAK’s School of Engineering currently offers ten undergraduate programs and a master’s program, all of which are accredited by the UAE’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHESR). Its programs in computer engineering and electronics and communications engineering both gained ABET accreditation in August.