The Princess Sumaya University for Technology (PSUT) Wednesday signed an agreement with global telecom giant Huawei to establish a cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing academy at the university, with a view to disseminate knowledge of 5G technology and train well-qualified human talents.

The agreement was inked by PSUT president Dr. Mashhour Refai and CEO of Huawei in Jordan Ethan Wang Jian. The signing ceremony was attended by Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship Ahmad Hanandeh and Vice President for Technology/ Chief of Knowledge for Development at the Royal Scientific Society, Dr. Nabeel Al-Fayoumi.

Hanandeh commended Huawei for the partnership and stressed Jordanian-Chinese cooperation, saying the academy will support all Jordanian universities and enable graduates to access new employment avenues and empower them to deal with the latest developments in the digital age.

Rifai said the agreement bridges the gap between the academic and industrial sectors in line with the directives of HRH Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan, Chairperson of the University's Board of Trustees. He stated that PSUT networks with international companies to keep pace with Jordan's aspirations to become a regional hub for the telecommunications and artificial intelligence sector.

Cooperation with Huawei, Refai added, would open broad horizons that are compatible with the university’s endeavor to become a pioneer in developing smart facilities, and that the company will provide laboratories supported by the latest technologies to provide its professional programs, and it will also participate in the future plans of the university. To be the first smart educational facility in the Kingdom.

Refai expressed his happiness with the agreement that bridges the gap between the academic and industrial sectors, stressing that it is consistent with the directives of HRH Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan, Chair of the University's Board of Trustees, which focus on networking with international companies.

This serves the University’s efforts to enter the ranks of the most prestigious universities, and keeps pace with Jordan’s aspirations to be a regional center for the communications and artificial intelligence sector, he added.
 
The CEO of Huawei in Jordan, Ethan Wang Jian, praised PSUT's successes and achievements and the good reputation it enjoys at all levels, stressing that the agreement is one of the steps that the company is taking to enhance local talent by working with government agencies and institutions to prepare and support future leaders in the ICT field, and thus support the efforts of digital transformation in the Kingdom.

The Dean of the King Hussein School of Computing Sciences, Dr. Ashraf Ahmad, referred to the School’s endeavors to achieve a digital renaissance and to implement the concept of a smart campus. He indicated that the School has been cooperating with the company in holding courses within the specializations of the Bachelor of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence and the Master of Data Science to raise their competencies in practical fields in computer networks.
 
Dr. Belal Sababha, Dean of the King Abdullah II School of Engineering, stated that the agreement is of great importance as it will benefit both parties. On the one hand, it will provide PSUT students with the opportunity to learn about the advanced devices produced by the company and inform them of the latest findings in its various fields.

On the other, Sababha indicated, it will enable the company to benefit from the expertise and competencies of the University, and this serves to link the academic outcome to the market and its requirements.
 
The academy will benefit the University in numerous ways. It will help students to raise their competency levels, familiarize them with the latest publications in the field of artificial intelligence, information security and cloud computing, and provide them with the ability to interact with others and acquire teamwork skills, thus making them better qualified to enter the labor market.

The academy will also train a group of faculty members and laboratory supervisors to integrate theoretical and practical courses, and it will contribute to the development of various academic curricula and plans.
 
At the start of the 2020/21 academic year, PSUT launched a Bachelor of Cybersecurity program which was added to its array of existing related disciplines: Bachelor of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, Bachelor in Networks & Information Security Engineering, Master of Data Science, and Master of Information Systems Security and Digital Criminology. The University is proud to be the forerunner in offering these specializations among Jordanian universities.
 
Notably, PSUT led a Jordanian team that won first place in the Huawei 2020 international competition, and teams of its students had previously obtained top places in the "Seeds for the Future" competition held by the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship and Huawei.
 
Huawei International, founded in 1987, specializes in providing ICT infrastructure and smart devices, and is committed to working to deliver digitalization to individuals, homes and companies to build a fully- interconnected smart world, by offering integrated solutions within the fields of communication networks, information technology, smart devices, and cloud computing services.