The two will open a Center of Excellence in UAE.

IBM is partnering with Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) – which calls itself the world’s first graduate research university strictly focused on AI – to advance AI research.

They will open a new AI Center of Excellence, to be located at the Masdar City campus of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The research will look at the theoretical and practical applications of AI. MBZUAI professors and graduate students will work closely with IBM researchers.

The project will also explore how AI can tackle social, civic, and business issues. The real-world applications will focus on healthcare, climate, and sustainability goals, in addition to natural language processing.

“This center will provide a highly valuable resource and collaborative environment to our faculty and students to broaden their work in AI,” said Eric Xing, MBZUAI’s president, in a statement.

IBM’s partnership includes technologies and training focused on how AI can advance society and business. As part of the company’s Academic Initiative program, MBZUAI faculty and students will have access to IBM software, courseware, tools, and cloud accounts for learning, teaching and noncommercial research.

IBM’s Skills Academy will provide AI lectures, labs, design-thinking sessions, and industry case studies with an option of achieving an AI Practitioner certification.

“This collaboration will help drive innovations in AI, which is critical for the future of business and society,” said Saad Toma, general manager for IBM Middle East and Africa, in a statement.