Abu dhabi: The Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) and the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing have announced the launch of the MIT-MBZUAI Collaborative Research Programme, which aims to harness the latest advances in artificial intelligence to address pressing scientific and societal challenges.
According to Emirates News Agency, the research collaboration is designed to strengthen the technological foundations of AI and accelerate its application in three core areas: scientific discovery, human thriving, and the health of the planet. The programme aligns with the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing’s goals of advancing computing across disciplines and addressing the social and ethical responsibilities of computing in shaping global impact. It also supports the UAE’s mission to grow into a global innovation hub for inclusive and high-impact AI.
Faculty, students, and research staff from both institutions will engage in high-impact research projects, each jointly led by a principal investigator from MBZUAI and MIT. Le Song, Professor of Machine Learning at MBZUAI, and Philip Isola, Class of 1948 Career Development Professor in the MIT Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, will serve as the academic directors of the programme on their respective campuses.
Professor Eric Xing, President and University Professor at MBZUAI, expressed that the agreement will unite researchers from both institutions to advance frontier AI research across health, robotics, and efficient computing. He emphasized the importance of ensuring that breakthroughs are pursued responsibly and applied effectively to improve human health, enable intelligent robotics, and drive sustainable AI at scale.
Professor Daniel Huttenlocher, Inaugural Dean of the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, highlighted the shared commitment to advancing AI in ways that are responsible, inclusive, and globally impactful. He noted that the collaboration aims to explore new horizons in AI and bring broad benefits to society through scientific discovery, human thriving, and sustainability.
Professor Sami Haddadin, Vice President for Research and Professor of Robotics at MBZUAI, stated that by uniting digital health, robotics, and efficient computing, the collaboration aims to build multi-scale biological foundation models of the human body. This approach could accelerate the discovery process and create possibilities for a new era of healthcare innovation while reducing the need for costly lab work and large-scale data generation.
