Two teams of students from the College of Engineering and Information Technology (CEIT) at the University of Dubai (UD) won monetary prizes during the University Entrepreneurship Program organized by Dubai Future Foundation and Mohammed bin Rashid Innovation Fund (MBRIF) as part of the Government Accelerators program. The Free Zone for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre at UD and a number of other universities participated in this program to showcase their creative ideas and set up the foundations to establish start-up companies.

Dr. Wathiq Mansour, Head of the Electrical Engineering Department and Director of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Free Zone Centre at the University, explained that the first team, which won a monetary prize of 50 thousand dirhams, was comprised of two students Maitha Ahmed and Maheba Al Muhairi. Their project aims to create an innovative application through which community members can learn sign language in several languages and deaf people can benefit using artificial intelligence techniques and solutions. Students will establish start-up companies within the incubators of the Free Zone for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre in the University.

The second team included the students Muhammad Mujren and Abdul Rahman Al Jasmi, and their project aims to establish an electronic platform to frame and encourage volunteering work by granting various rewards from government and private agencies to volunteers aiming to serve the community and influence social responsibility in human behavior.

Both participating teams from UD were supported by the Entrepreneurship Team at the Dubai Future Foundation.

UD President Dr. Eesa Al Bastaki congratulated the winning teams on their achievements of excellence and creativity that culminated during their participation at the program. He also praised their perseverance and continuous efforts in providing innovative solutions using modern technologies. He pointed out that the University students demonstrated their abilities to innovate through myriad distinguished projects that were implemented under the supervision of members of the academic body. “The University of Dubai established the Free Zone Centre for students in line with the directions and vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to utilize human potentials and optimize our students’ capabilities to build and develop the future of Dubai and make it the best city in the world,” he added.

This program also coincides with Dubai government’s implementation of the Fifty- Year Charter, which fosters the implementation of University Free Zones to establish integrated economic and creative zones among public and private universities across the country.