Region's academia meet in Dubai on future technologies

Microsoft Research Academic Days is an annual forum hosted by Microsoft, which brings top faculty throughout the region together to share best teaching practices and collaborate on how to best incorporate technology into the curricula.

The event features key speakers from Microsoft Research, Microsoft Corporation and from leading Universities across the region. Scientists and researchers from Microsoft's research labs and product groups, who are working on building the technologies of the future, will share their knowledge and project details with the region's top faculty members who are responsible for delivering learning opportunities for more than 14,000 computer science students across the Middle East.

Abdullatif Almulla, General Manager of Microsoft South Gulf, said: "The software development industry delivers the highest economic returns to countries which invest in teaching resources in that sector. The competitive edge that the Middle East today enjoys, and where the future lies, is in a large pool of developers talent ready to explore future opportunities in software applications and services."

Stephen Emmott, Director of University Relations at Microsoft Research Cambridge, says computing is the most critical sector for research investment. "Developing new forms of partnerships between industry and the science & technology sectors along with creative excellence in Middle East and African universities will be essential for real GDP growth, Nowhere is this likely to be more important in the next decade than in computing, where its potential for revolutionizing many other industry sectors, from biotechnology and physics to engineering and creativity may have only just begun, he said.

Microsoft Research typically looks five to ten years beyond the current product development cycles to identify and develop key technologies that will shape users' experiences in the future. The center collaborates with the entire research community to advance the state of the art in each area of computer science, and builds relationships with key universities worldwide to enhance teaching and learning experiences, inspire technological innovation, and strengthen computer science and engineering education.

Almulla continued: "What we will be doing at Microsoft Research Academic Days is ensuring that educators of our future software developers have the knowledge of how software, the Internet, and convergence in communications as well as the increased need for mobility, are being researched and advanced within research centers today, and how new technologies are going to shape the development of software applications in the future. This, we hope, will enable these professors to deliver this knowledge to students and shape their curricula to ensure it addresses the future needs of the market regionally as well as globally."

Along with an overview of the technology, social and industry trends that are driving technology research, speakers from Microsoft Research will be sharing with the attendees some of their current projects that more than 700 researchers in five labs around the world are working on, as well as how existing IP technologies, IT security, end-to-end application integration, software languages and database technologies are influencing research and development in innovation centers. Independent technology experts will be sharing with attending professors the recent breakthroughs in IT, evolving business needs, and how research and development in IT is most likely to develop within the next ten years.

Nasser Khan Ghazi, .NET & Platforms Director, Microsoft Middle East and Africa for Microsoft said: "There are exciting technological developments taking place in research centers around the world and new trends in the way businesses use and interact with technology. Our aim is to ensure that our students and teachers are touched by these outbreaks, induced to innovate and are capable of building the software industry of the future in the region."