The OpenUAE Research & Development Group is the first of its kind in the country, providing new research opportunities related to the successful adoption of Open Source Software (OSS) in the region. The group will engage students (undergraduate and graduate at universities and other interested parties) to conduct research on the deployment of OSS in many sectors to serve multiple purposes i.e. Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence  cyber security, smart cities, Internet of Things, …etc. The group provides the necessary training, develops ICT solutions based on OSS, evaluates and assesses these solutions and provides consultancy services to enable government-wide, as well as private sector access, to OSS. The group initiative is aligned with the mission of the University of Sharjah as well as the economic vision of the UAE 2021.

Objectives

The objectives of the group are:

1. Develop, apply and evaluate OSS solutions in many sectors in the UAE. Our research group will play a vital role and take the lead in many OSS projects such as: security, medical applications, environmental applications, etc.
2. Contribute in research world by sha​ring our findings locally and internationally through workshops,  conferences and journals.
3. Design of Blockchain reference model, and development of information security management assurance guidelines and security recommendations.
4. Report findings to research partners, to local, regional, and international organizations.
5. Establish an OSS awareness campaign through workshops, seminars, and conferences.   
6. Provide training and consultancy services to UAE government entities.
   

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