The first international conference on E-Business and E-Learning EBEL 2005 officially commenced at Princess Sumaya University for Technology

Princess Sumaya University for Technology (PSUT) is holding the conference in cooperation with the Euro Mediterranean partnership programme MEDFOREST within the framework of activating scientific research in the field of information technology pertaining to E-Business and E-Learning. The aim is to showcase the latest in modern technology in these fields and study the possibility of applying them in the business and education sectors in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

In her speech, HRH Princess Sumaya Bint El-Hassan, PSUT's Chairman of the Board of Trustees, stated, 'PSUT welcomes and organizes this conference as a forum where experts from Jordan and Mediterranean and European countries may gather to exchange ideas, expertise and practices. PSUT understands the importance of new technologies and innovations in advancing the e-learning platforms, an essential tools for education and training activities. PSUT goes beyond education as it integrates e-business, e-learning and e-applications to advance IT in Jordan and the region.'

Dr. Bernard Chapelet, Grenoble Ecole de Managemen said, 'The project is a fruit of the Euro-Mediterranean cooperation. In 1995, in Barcelona, representatives of the governments of Europe and Mediterranean countries agreed on common objectives for both parts of the Mediterranean Basin. Among these was the building of the information society, a society which, based on information and communication technology, values knowledge as the source of wealth. This gave birth to the EUMEDIS program, an initiative of the European Commission to initiate collaboration between institutions from Mediterranean countries and Europe in different domains of the information society such as education, health, tourism and cultural heritage, commerce and research. MEDFORIST is one out of 5 projects in the domain of education.'

The conference, including a number of activities in addition to the academic meetings, has expanded in to training workshops on E-Learning and E-Client Servicing, as well as panel discussions on scientific research at British universities.

The conference is sponsored by a number of local and international institutions and companies. In addition to the EUDEMIS program for Euro Mediterranean partnership, which is funded by the European Union and the MEDFORIST network, the conference activities is sponsored by the MICROSOFT company for software manufacturing, the Jordanian Minhaj Company, and the Electronic Directory for Arab Law. The conference is also sponsored by the Jordanian-UK initiative, Get Connected Jordan UK, and the Jordanian association for computers.