UAE officials on Thursday announced a new scholarship to support students at Abu Dhabi's Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence.
The Tahnoon bin Zayed Scholarship in AI Excellence was launched by the country's AI and Advanced Technology Council.
The merit-based AI scholarship will help to support as many as 350 undergraduate students over six years and is to begin during the 2025-2026 academic year, according to a statement.
It will provide financial support, as well as "exclusive opportunities to represent the UAE at high-profile youth events locally and globally".
Mathematics abilities, entrepreneurial skills and leadership qualities will all be factors considered for those students who apply.
"The scholarship in AI excellence at MBZUAI aims to empower talented and ambitious young minds to be active partners in shaping the future," said Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi and UAE National Security Adviser.
Sheikh Tahnoon also highlighted his country's efforts in AI research to "serve humanity and strengthen the UAE's position as a leading destination at the forefront of global innovation".
MBZUAI President Eric Xing said that he hopes the scholarship will inspire a new generation of students.
"We are both proud and grateful for the country’s leadership in providing the Tahnoon bin Zayed Scholarship in AI Excellence to our undergraduate programme," he added.
In recent years, the UAE has pushed to be an AI leader as it diversifies its economy away from hydrocarbons.
The country’s affinity for research into the technology has resulted in the establishment of start-ups, partnerships and investments from industry leaders including Microsoft, Nvidia and OpenAI.
The UAE has also teamed up with the US to develop an AI campus, which will include 5GW of capacity for AI data centres, in Abu Dhabi.
it has also created language models such as Falcon Arabic, which is part of an effort to ensure aspects of Arabic culture are not left behind in the AI surge, as many large language models were initially based on English language data.
