Dell EMC’s 'Envision the Future' Competition Sparks Innovation Among Universities in Middle East, Turkey and Africa

Dell EMC today announced the winners of "Envision the Future”, the annual graduation project competition for Turkey, Middle East and Africa region. The competition in its second year witnessed participation by more than 883 senior undergraduate students and over 214 project submissions. Envision the Future continues to spark the creativity of students enrolled in the Dell EMC External Research and Academic Alliance program, to create projects with advanced technologies, instrumental to driving digital transformation. The work of the Dell EMC External Research and Academic Alliance is aligned to the Dell 2020 Legacy of Good goal to apply our expertise and technology in underserved communities.

The annual competition is sponsored by Dell EMC Centre of Excellence (COE) in Egypt and aims to foster technological innovations among youth in the region. King Abdulaziz University (KAU) from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Zagazig University from Egypt were amongst winners of a group of 27 finalists from five countries. The team from KAU presented a concept of a wearable prototype device and a mobile application to effectively monitor the safety and health of Hajj pilgrims. Zagazig University addressed the need for an advanced vehicular traffic analytics tool through the use of advanced machine learning algorithms and analytics. This would aim to benefit drivers and the environment by facilitating shorter driving time and fewer car emissions.

Projects received from over 20 universities in 11 countries were assessed by a select panel of judges from around the globe while finalists were judged by two globally distinguished Dell EMC technical experts.

Overall, the Envision the Future competition witnessed dramatic growth of over 350% more project submissions over last year. Entries from female applicants were at a majority with 60% of the entries received suggesting a positive trend in the region of increasing interest among young women in technology.  

The unique platform provides an ideal opportunity for students to showcase the knowledge acquired through the Dell EMC program to solve the technology challenges of the present and the future. It exposes the next generation of IT leaders to the possibilities offered by a range of diverse new technologies including mobile applications, the Internet of Things, security, big data, cloud computing, virtualization, robotics and high performance computing applications.

Abu Dhabi University Collaboration with Dell EMC

Abu Dhabi University, one of the region’s leading centers of academic excellence, successfully collaborated with Dell EMC to introduce a Data Science and Big Data Analytics program. The University recently recognized the first batch of graduates who successfully completed the unique open curriculum-based education program. Aimed at bridging the gap between academia and industry, the program provided these students with the knowledge and practical experience required to immediately participate effectively in big data and other analytics projects.

Abdulrahman H. Altalhi, Ph.D., Dean of King Abdulaziz University and Associate Professor of Information Technology, College of Computing and Information Technology: “Envision the Future provides a unique platform for the leaders and innovators of tomorrow to showcase their creativity and play an active role in digital transformation. We are proud of our students for winning this prestigious award for this year’s Dell EMC graduate project competition and look forward to them going on to shape the digital future of our economy.”

Prof. Abdel Nasser H. Zaied, Dean, College of Computers and Informatics, Zagazig University, Egypt Adviser to the Minister of Higher Education for private and national universities, Ministry of Higher Education, Egypt: "We strive to consistently enhance the learning experience of our students at Zagazig University (ZU) which we have achieved by providing them with the opportunity to put theory into practice through our collaboration with Dell EMC which has two focus areas. First, we help students gain knowledge and certifications in emerging technologies like cloud storage and services. Second, participating in challenges such as the Envision the Future competition further sharpens their skills. The Dell EMC External Research and Academic Alliance program plays an important role in providing the opportunity for academic and technical practitioners to come together in preparing our students for the real world and providing a jump-start to their career.”

Dr. Modafar Ati, Associate Professor, College of Engineering, Department of Information Technology and Computer Science, Abu Dhabi University: “Abu Dhabi University is dedicated to achieving excellence through its globally competitive curriculum and unique programs that aim to bridge the gap between academia and industry. The Data Science and Big Data Analytics course introduced with Dell EMC External Research and Academic Alliance provides a foundation for our students to harness the power of data and provide actionable insights for businesses. Today, our graduates are further equipped with the industry knowledge required to unlock successful careers in this evolving digital era.” 

Mohammed Amin, Senior Vice President, Middle East, Turkey & Africa, Dell EMC: “Through our 2020 Legacy of Good plan, we constantly look for ways to ensures that our technology and expertise create shared value for people and the planet. Envision the Future is a step towards equipping youth with the knowledge of digital skills for their future and providing them with the opportunity to take ambitious theory to practice. Our vision is to bridge the gap between the technical community and external academia through the Dell EMC program and ultimately create a broad ecosystem of innovators to solve the problems of tomorrow and drive digital transformation.”

Marwa Zaghow, Senior Manager, External Research & Academic Alliances, Europe, Middle East, Turkey and Africa, Dell EMC: “The Dell EMC External Research and Academic Alliance program aligns with regional priority of developing IT skillsets among young people. We have seen substantial growth in the participation of students in the second edition of Envision the Future indicating a keen interest from the next generation of innovators to develop their skillset and contribute to the digital transformation of their region. The majority of female participants this year further represent a positive changing trend of gender diversity in technology and more young women looking to become innovators and technologists. These indicators are crucial to our vision of using new and innovative technologies to build a better world.”