NEWS
MBZUAI’ s undergraduate research internship programme draws record global interest
Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial
Intelligence( MBZUAI) has successfully concluded the 2025 edition of its flagship Undergraduate Research Internship Programme( UGRIP) – its largest and most diverse cohort to date.
The fully funded, four-week residency brought together 57 top-performing undergraduate students from 24 countries and leading global institutions, including the Indian Institutes of Technology, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Maryland College Park, University of Campinas, Monterrey Institute of Technology and Nazarbayev University.
Hosted annually at MBZUAI’ s campus in Abu Dhabi, UGRIP offers students in their final or penultimate year of undergraduate study an immersive opportunity to work alongside worldrenowned faculty on cutting-edge AI research projects. This year’ s projects spanned Machine
Learning, computer vision, robotics, natural language processing and core computer science disciplines for real-world impact.
“ UGRIP is a cornerstone of our mission to open up AI education and research to the brightest talent globally, regardless of background or geography,” said Professor Timothy Baldwin, MBZUAI’ s Provost and Professor of Natural Language Processing.“ This edition was a record-breaking year for applications and selectivity, and the programme has clearly emerged as one of the most competitive and sought-after undergraduate AI research experiences globally.”
With an acceptance rate of 4 %, the 2025 edition attracted nearly 2,000 applications from outstanding students around the world, an incredible year-on-year increase of 91 %.
“ As these numbers evidence, the very best undergraduate students from around the world are looking to engage in AI research and innovation and increasingly look to MBZUAI and Abu Dhabi as the destination of choice to achieve that ambition. While deep immersion into research is at the heart of the experience, we also provide opportunities for students to engage with the unique culture of the UAE and its rapidly growing AI ecosystem,” Professor Baldwin said.
Oman’ s Ministry of Transport and IT unveils COMEX 2025 to drive digital investment and innovation
The Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information
Technology has unveiled the details of COMEX 2025, which will be held at Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre from September 2025, with the participation of over 300 local and international companies. The exhibition will serve as a platform for digital investment.
He explained that the ministry will organise a series of sideline events and workshops focusing on digital investment, e-gaming, digital tourism and creative content production, targeting companies, investors and startups in the field.
Dr Ali Amir Al Shithani, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology for Communications and IT, stated that the ministry aims to position COMEX as a platform for promoting direct investment opportunities in the communications and IT sector, supporting tech startups, showcasing their products, enhancing local content and fostering collaboration between the public and private sectors as well as international partnerships.
He emphasised that the exhibition serves as a gathering point for all stakeholders in advancing the digital economy.
Al Shithani confirmed that COMEX 2025 will witness significant participation from local and international companies, featuring multiple pavilions, sections and diverse activities. The ministry will have a dedicated pavilion highlighting its initiatives and projects, most of which fall under the National Digital Economy Programme.
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