The University of Sharjah signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Bayanat for Mapping and Surveying. It aims to strengthen bonds of cooperation in many areas of common interest, especially in the fields of education, research, and training. This to achieve their common goals of positively contributing to the development and prosperity of the United Arab Emirates.

Prof. Maamar Bettayeb, Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Studies, signed the MoU with Mr. Hassan Al Hosani, Executive Director of Bayanat. This in the presence of Dr. Salah Taher, Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs, and Prof. Nouar Thabet, Dean of the College of Sciences, and several attendees from both parties.

During the signing of the MoU, Prof. Bettayeb indicated that the University of Sharjah is working according to its current strategic plan, which was developed according to the directives of its President His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah. The strategic plan, in one of its pillars, calls to extend cooperating bridges with governmental and private institutions and bodies and activating them positively with the aim of serving and developing the local community. He then reviewed the University's activities in the field of scientific research, and its continuous rise in international rankings. He also mentioned the offered programs in the field of geographic information systems and remote sensing at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

For his part, Mr. Hassan Al Hosani stated that Bayanat is following the vision of the wise leadership in the UAE to build strategic partnerships with the higher education sector. This to enhance cooperation in educational fields and practical research between the education sector and the private sector. This MoU, he continued, is considered a prelude to continuous and fruitful cooperation, especially in the field of survey engineering and geospatial data analysis. He added that Bayanat is working on several development plans in the field of remote sensing and the use of artificial intelligence in the analysis of geospatial data and digital maps. They aim to harness this data to enrich the scope of scientific research for university students and professors and to provide appropriate field training for future cadres.

The MoU calls for strengthening the bonds of cooperation in areas of academic education and development of programs by including the name of the University of Sharjah within the list of internally accredited educational bodies with Bayanat. This to help meet the educational needs of employees, whether in bachelor's, master's, or executive leadership programs, as well as offering practical training programs for students. It allows them to complete the compulsory practical training program at Bayanat or its affiliated institutions according to the available specializations with the possibility Bayanat recruiting them for future job vacancies.

The MoU also calls for strengthening bonds of cooperation in the field of exchanging data, information, and scientific documents related to joint research and consulting studies projects. As well as providing information, data, and resources necessary to conduct joint research programs, such as contributing to researching the obstacles and challenges facing Bayanat, studying them, and proposing appropriate solutions by the concerned and interested faculty members, researchers, or graduate students' projects. Both parties will cooperate in holding joint workshops, seminars, and conferences, as well as providing consultations in the fields of geographic information systems, remote sensing, and mapping. They will also cooperate in other possible areas such as: future foresight, artificial intelligence and its applications, in addition to innovation.