Guests at the launch of UOW’s Dubai-based Data Science, Discovery and Innovation Centre. Photo: UOW.
The University of Wollongong (UOW) has extended its reach into Dubai, launching a new research centre focusing on data sciences.
The Data Science, Discovery and Innovation Centre will operate from the former Australian World Expo Pavilion building, which the Federal Government gifted to the university in 2022 to use as a space for innovation, research and global collaboration.
The pavilion was built for the World Expo 2020. The site has been renamed Expo City Dubai and will become a multiuse green and tech-enabled city built around sustainability.
The striking Australian pavilion, known as Blue Sky Dreaming, was described at the time as “a place for minds to connect for future global collaborations, to create innovative solutions for global challenges”.
UOW vice-chancellor and president Professor Patricia Davidson said the centre would follow a similar vision.
“[It] will provide a space for multiple ideas and visions, unified by their pursuit of innovation and discovery,” Prof Davidson said during the centre’s launch this week.
“The field of data science has the potential to revolutionise many industries and improve our lives in countless ways, whether in healthcare, supply chains or cybersecurity. And the best research is delivered collaboratively and collegially, which is one of the main goals of this facility.”
Vice-chancellor Patricia Davidson addresses guests at the launch. Photo: UOW.
One of the centre’s main objectives will be to provide a resource for UOW researchers in data sciences, allowing collaborating researchers from the university and other NSW and Australian institutions, as well as industry partners, to undertake impactful projects. The initiative will draw on UOW’s global footprint both as a facility and a virtual node within the research, teaching and innovation ecosystem.
UOW Dubai president Professor Mohamed Salem said the centre and its capabilities were unique in the region.
“Solutions created through enquiry into data in many fields are of vital interest to governments and industries in the region and Australia,” he said.
“We look forward to working with other NSW-based universities to facilitate collaborative opportunities as part of this initiative.”
UOW opened its Dubai campus 10 years ago and is the only NSW-based university in the United Arab Emirates.
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