Emirates University and Dubai e-Government announce unique 'International Research Conference on Innovations in Information Technology' running concurrently with GITEX 2004

This unique initiative titled "International Conference on Innovations in Information Technology 2004" will be held from October 4 to October 6, during GITEX 2004, the region's most significant IT event, and was announced at a press conference in Dubai on 15 September. The IIT conference will be an annual event held in Dubai and attracting scientists from all over the world.

IIT 2004 will be held in two parts:

1. One-day of International Workshops: This event will serve as a platform for industry to present emerging technologies and technology roadmaps. These workshops are of the 2-3 hour variety and are focused on current topics of interest to the IT community. Executives, managers and students will have the opportunity to learn about the latest technologies from a layman's perspective.

2. Two-day International Conference: This event constitutes a traditional research conference. Quality research papers will be solicited and selected for presentation and publication on a competitive basis. The conference will also include student poster sessions, providing students the opportunity to present their IT projects.

His Highness, Sheikh Nahayan Bin Mubarak Al Nahayan, Minister for Higher Education and Scientific Research and Chancellor of UAE University will inaugurate the three-day event, which will be attended by more than 50 eminent international scientists and IT experts.

Prominent speakers include Patrick Toole, General Manager of IBM's Engineering and Technology Services Division, Dr. Krishna Nathan, Vice President of IBM Services and Director of IBM's Zurich Research Laboratory, Dr. Swami Manohar, President and CEO of PicoPeta, Simputers Pvt. Ltd, Bangalore, Mr. Stephen Prentice, Vice President and Director of Research (MEA) for Gartner and many other well-known experts in the international IT sector.

More than 55 outstanding scientific research papers selected by a panel of over 100 leading scientists will be presented at the conference, which will focus on a wide range of areas related to innovations in IT including the following topics:
• Network and Information Security
• Information Systems Integration
• Internet and Communications Technologies
• Web Engineering and Applications
• E-Commerce
• Knowledge and Content Management
• Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery
• Indexing and Search Technologies
• VLSI Chip Design and Test

High quality scientific research papers presented at the event will be considered for publication in special issues of three major international scientific journals - Enterprise Information Management Journal, Business Process Management Journal and International Journal of Mobile Computing and Commerce.

H.E. Dr. Hadef Bin Jouaan Al-Dhahiri, Vice Chancellor of UAE University, said: "UAE University is proud to partner with Dubai e-Government and GITEX 2004 to provide a powerful platform for discussing ways of advancing IT research in this region. Our support of this event reflects the UAE University's commitment to promote projects that further enhance the UAE's position as a regional hub for information technology. Our goal is to encourage scientists from all over the world to gather at this annual event in Dubai to exchange ideas and present their research to the community of IT scholars in the Gulf".

He added: "With the Middle East and North Africa emerging as a key development area in IT and e-commerce, this international conference will address several issues and challenges that will help raise awareness of, and promote IT development and scientific research in the Arab world".

The Middle East has emerged as one of the four global hot spots, with an expected growth rate of 15%, and IT spending estimated at $ 7.9 billion, led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, according to statistics released by the International Data Corp (IDC).

Mr. Salem Khamis Shair, Director of e-services at Dubai e-Government, said: "We have given great thought to making the conference as interactive as possible while providing participants valuable insights aimed at generating ideas and plans that can be used by government and the private sector to present and push forward sound growth strategies for the region's IT industry. The active participation of UAE University in this event underlines the vast potential of university research that can be used to set the pace for IT development".

Mr. Samer Shaar, GM of IBM for the Middle East, Egypt & Pakistan, said: "We are very happy to be supporting an event where one of the most prestigious centers of higher education in the UAE together with Dubai e-Government are demonstrating such commitment to a sector that is rapidly transforming the way businesses and official transactions are done from region to region and throughout the world. The discussions and deliberations at IIT 2004 will add immense value to GITEX 2004, and bring into focus the UAE's unique role as a facilitator and promoter of IT development in the entire Arab region.

Mr. Hani Harik, President of Emirates Computers, said: "As a company that pursues innovation and excellence, Emirates Computers is proud to support initiatives like IIT 2004 that encourage the growth of a vibrant and strong IT culture in the Arab world. We are confident that this unique conference will pave the way for participants to exchange and generate ideas that will be of immense benefit to organizations and companies who are committed to improving the IT environment and infrastructure in the region."

IIT 2004 has also received the support of leading private sector companies, who came forward to help sponsor the event including IBM, Gartner, Emirates Computers and Dell.