IBM Middle East and Zayed University announced at GITEX the Middle East’s first Innovation Center, which will be located at Dubai Internet City. SmartSquare will provide an accessible source of knowledge and business consultancy for small and large organizations in the Middle East.
SmartSquare will be located at Dubai Internet City (DIC) aiming to drive and shape technology adoption, facilitate knowledge transfer, and build links between business and academia in the region. The center's web portal will be hosted at the IBM and DIC eHosting center.
Last March, Zayed University signed a letter of intent with IBM to begin work on the project to plan and evaluate the requirements for an Innovation Center in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Since then, IBM Global Services experts have been working closely with Zayed University to define the mission for the center, and how it would best address the needs of the business community and the long-term strategic objectives of the UAE government.
“The mission is to establish and nurture business innovation, developing the expertise locally to apply technology to improve business processes. This is critical to developing and sustaining intellectual and economic strength for future generations in the United Arab Emirates,” said Vice President of Zayed University, Hanif Al-Qassimi. “Together with IBM, we hope to show people how to seize the opportunities that lie before them, and to create new opportunities themselves,” he said.
Founded in 1998, Zayed University is a government-supported institution that offers four-year baccalaureate degree programs for UAE National women. The University has campuses located in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, with an enrollment of approximately 2200 students. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
