In a ceremony graced by the presence of His Excellency Mr. Ali bin Sheikh Abdulhussain Al Asfoor, the Governor of the Northern Governorate, the University of Technology Bahrain (UTB) joined the Kingdom of Bahrain in its 52^nd National Day celebration and the anniversary of the accession of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

Several esteemed guests including His Excellency the First Deputy Speaker of the Council of Representatives, Mr. Abdulnabi Salman, and His Excellency the Deputy Governor, Colonel Abdullah Ali Rashid Maanatir were welcomed by Dr. Hasan Almulla, President of UTB, together with other university officers, college deans, faculty, staff and students.

Highlighting the significant role of universities in fostering values of citizenship, patriotism, loyalty, and belonging, His Excellency Mr. Ali bin Sheikh Abdulhussain Al Asfoor commended citizens’ moral duty and honoured their presence at the academic institution, acknowledging UTB’s partnership and its positive impact on the Northern Governorate’s well-being, and inviting everyone to participate in the upcoming activities prepared by the governorate. In addition, he expressed pride in celebrating the establishment of the Arab Muslim modern state in 1783 under the reign of the founder, Ahmed Al-Fateh, and the commemoration of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s accession to power. He extended congratulations and best wishes to Bahrain, its leadership, government, and citizens, conveying greetings on behalf of His Excellency Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, the Minister of Interior.

Dr. Hasan Almulla, President of UTB, conveyed heartfelt congratulations and best wishes on behalf of the university’s administrative and academic bodies to Bahrain, its king, government, and people, in honour of the glorious National Day and the anniversary of His Majesty the Great King’s accession. He expressed sincere thanks and appreciation for the gracious presence of His Excellency Mr. Ali bin Sheikh Abdulhussain Al Asfoor in the ceremony, which commemorates the glories of ancestors and renews allegiance to wise leadership. Reflecting on achievements, he recalled the remarkable era marked by the launch of the Future Schools Program and modern schools, along with the proliferation of universities, of which have significantly impacted the development of the educational process across all stages and specialties in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

A vibrant display of traditional music and folk dances illuminated the celebration, highlighting Bahrain’s rich cultural heritage. The carnival embraced the participation of talented local artistic groups, infusing the event with a special artistic flair. Adding an entrepreneurial touch, the celebration showcased various products and projects by Bahraini families, contributing to the support of startups and inspiring Bahraini youth to excel in entrepreneurship, thus bolstering the local job market.

The celebration indeed served as a wondrous opportunity for all attendees to sustain national unity, strong pride for Bahraini citizenship and profound appreciation for its rich history and diverse culture.

In line with UTB’s commitment to promoting national identity and nurturing a sense of national spirit, all UTB stakeholders contribute to fostering solidarity and prosperity within the university community, hailing the Kingdom of Bahrain for the unparalleled developments then and beyond.

Focusing on technology and innovation, the University of Technology Bahrain (UTB) unveiled the book, “Accelerating Entrepreneurship”, co-authored by over 40 entrepreneurs and researchers from within and outside the Kingdom of Bahrain. Dr. Rania Nafi spoke about the book as a co-author and stated that the book dealt with success stories and problems entrepreneurs face. She spoke about the most important ways of accelerating entrepreneurship and noted the importance of revitalizing and promoting the process of launching and developing startups and entrepreneurial projects to provide the necessary support and resources for founders and promising enterprises to achieve rapid growth and sustainable success. The event was well attended by MBA students, UTB staff, members of the SME society and UNISMO and 9 of our authors. The highlight was a presentation by Dr Mohamed Nass, the owner of Bahrain Flour Mills, who talked about the impact of technology on manufacturing. Ahmed Al-Ansari’s talk gave an overview of trends in technology and how they are impacting innovation in many sectors. Special thanks to the official sponsors of the book, Umut Sonmez and G1Bahrain.

University of Technology Bahrain (UTB), and Culture Bahrain collaborated to bring forth an exceptional event. The event featured an enlightening booth that showcased the features of Bahrain’s civilization, providing valuable insights into the nation’s history for both students and Bahraini citizens. In addition, BACA plans to organize similar engagements in the future to further raise awareness of the ancient and uniquely diverse cultural heritage of Bahrain and the successive civilizations that inhabited the islands, including the three sites inscribed on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Qal’at al-Bahrain Site, the Pearling Path in Muharraq, and the Dilmun Burial Mounds. This event stands as a testament to the commitment of the University of Technology Bahrain and Culture Bahrain in promoting education and cultural heritage.

University of Technology Bahrain (UTB), in collaboration with INJAZ Bahrain, recently organised a workshop focused on job preparedness for its students. The workshop emphasized the importance of enhancing their CVs with relevant skills, internship experience, and educational achievements when applying for jobs as fresh graduates.

During the workshop, students were provided with the opportunity to review and evaluate their CVs. This exercise aimed to help them understand the significance of presenting a well-crafted CV that effectively showcases their qualifications and experiences to potential employers. By critically assessing their CVs, students were able to identify areas for improvement and make necessary adjustments to enhance their chances of securing employment opportunities.

With UTB’s commitment to equipping its students with the necessary tools and knowledge to succeed in their future careers, the university continues to prioritise the holistic growth and career readiness of its students. Initiatives like these workshops play a crucial role in bridging the gap between academics and industry, ultimately enhancing the employability and mobility of UTB graduates.

University of Technology Bahrain (UTB) has recently announced that it has contracted a number of professional coaches in a move to enhance the readiness of the university’s sport teams.

Dr. Hasan Almulla, President of UTB, expressed his enthusiasm for this development, stating, “We believe that this initiative will greatly benefit our athletes and contribute to the development of the sports culture and teams at the university.   By providing the necessary guidance and training, we aim to foster a culture of athletic excellence and professionalism, within the university.”

The decision to bring in professional coaches emanates from UTB’s commitment to providing its athletes with the best resources and support available. The university recognises the importance of sports in fostering teamwork, discipline, and personal development among its students.

As the fifth edition of universities sports tournament organised by Bahrain Schools and Collegiate Athletic Association approaches, UTB athletes can look forward to receiving expert guidance from their appointed professional coaches while nurturing their talent and promoting a competitive sporting environment within the university. In the long run, this move is expected to have a positive impact on the performance of UTB teams, both in the upcoming tournament and in future competitions.

Dr. Hasan Almulla, President of University of Technology Bahrain (UTB) received in his office the winners in the Professional Inventor category of the International Virtual Expo of Innovation Product and System Design 2023 (INVIDE 2023) in Malaysia, in which two student projects from the College of Engineering ranked first and second among hundreds of engineering designs.

Bagging the gold medal is the “telebot”, short for telepresence robot. It is a remote-controlled robot that allows users to virtually interact with other people even in remote environments seamlessly like actual face to face encounters. According to the project creator, Adnan Hasmathulla, UTB mechatronics engineering alumnus, his project design was inspired by his daily travels from Saudi to UTB campus vice versa to attend classes and submit inquiries. His design, the telebot, can be useful in closing inquiries as it saves time and effort traveling.

Receiving the silver medal is the smart self-leveling walker, a device that uses sensors and actuators to maintain its balance while walking on uneven terrain. Although walker designs have been in development for years, the developers, Ali Jameel, Hesham Abdulla and Khalid Abduljalil – all UTB mechatronics engineering students, came up with an automated design to meet the rehabilitation goal of mobility, allowing users to safely walk through stairs and inclines.

These wins are an attestation of the collaborative support of the advisers and faculty of the college in support of UTB’s commitment to innovation and excellence in engineering designs, more so, development of solutions employing the latest technologies and trends.

 

Saudi Vice Minister for Universities, Research and Innovation, His Excellency Dr. Mohammed bin Ahmed bin Turki Al-Sudairy, received in the Saudi capital Riyadh the President of University of Technology Bahrain (UTB), Dr. Hasan bin Ali Almulla, and the accompanying delegation. The Saudi Vice Minister highlighted the importance of holding such meetings to enhance cooperation, exchange views and discuss aspirations that serve the interest of both parties.

Dr. Hasan Almulla, President of UTB, expressed his sincere thanks and appreciation to the Saudi Vice Minister of Education for the hospitality and organising the meeting as part of a series of meetings with officials of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which aim at enhancing the outcome of higher education institutions and further developing student services. Dr. Hasan Almulla briefed the meeting on the journey of establishing the university and its scientific and academic development, as well as existing and forthcoming international partnerships and alliances that have enhanced the output of the university.

Dr. Hasan Almulla presented a token of appreciation to His Excellency the Saudi Vice Minister of Education in recognition of the Saudi Ministry of Education sincere efforts in enhancing opportunities of cooperation to maximise student potentials. He also praised the efforts of the Saudi Ministry of Education and Ministry of Investment in further developing the higher education sector through enhancing strategic partnerships.

University of Technology Bahrain (UTB) and French École Hexagone University signed a memorandum of understanding in line with UTB’s commitment to provide the labour market with highly qualified information technology professionals who are on a par with those from the top-tier universities worldwide.

With the offering of the Bachelor of Science in Information Technology programme major in Networking and Cybersecurity, Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence, and Applications Development at the beginning of the current academic year, the agreement will provide students with opportunities for academic collaborations in scientific and applied research, and student exchange in the field of information technology specifically in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.

It is worth noting that French École Hexagone University attaches special importance to applied, vocational and technical training through its close relations with major information technology companies not only in France but worldwide, and this further inspires UTB to implement its comprehensive development plan for the budding vibrant identity of the university.

Both parties also discussed launching new academic programmes after obtaining required statutory approvals, especially the Higher Education Council. After all, the application of information technology systems is vast and is increasing day by day to fulfill the demands of technological innovations and digitalization of operations in all fields of work.

Also, during the meeting with the French École Hexagone University delegates, both parties discussed to offer joint academic programmes that focus on the actual practices in the local and global labour market, where students will obtain practical training in companies and institutions operating in the Kingdom of Bahrain, France and other countries that are closely associated with French École Hexagone University, and University of Technology Bahrain. 

Under the auspicious patronage of His Excellency Dr. Mohammed bin Mubarak Juma, Minister of Education and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Higher Education Council, the inauguration of the Global Higher Education Exhibition (GHEDEX), first in Bahrain, took place at the Exhibition World Bahrain.

 

University of Technology Bahrain (UTB), led by Dr. Hasan Almulla, President, received the leadership development award from His Excellency Dr. Mohammed bin Mubarak Juma, Minister of Education and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Higher Education Council during the awards ceremony as part of the inauguration. The award is a recognition of UTB’s leadership development in various fields – offering relevant, unique and most affordable programme offerings; accelerating upgrade of campus facilities; implementing the most innovative educational approaches; and working together to build the leaders of tomorrow – all efforts towards excellence and quality in higher education in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

 

Added to the exhibition agenda were two-day conference and display of student enterprises that attracted a good number of visitors. Dr. Rania Nafea, UTB associate professor, was selected to be a panel speaker for the discussion of entrepreneurial ecosystem at schools, applied/vocational/technical education and universities. She commended the role of industries, business partners, economic sectors and the community in strengthening the entrepreneurial mindset among universities in Bahrain. Three alumni enterprises created by UTB budding inventors were accepted to be showcased – sterilization robot, smart bus system and telebot – all works are inspired by the future technology ecosystem driven by breakthroughs in frontier technologies and entrepreneurship opportunities.

 

It is worth noting that UTB rebranded to a university of technology in 2021, and it has been dedicating its collaborative efforts to enhancing the economic, social, and cultural prosperity of communities through high quality and excellent teaching and learning, research, dissemination of knowledge, fostering inclusiveness at a multicultural environment, and wise leadership management as evidenced by student successes, contributions and services to society, collaborations and innovation initiatives.

University of Technology Bahrain (UTB) hosted its international conference titled “Sustainable Innovations in Management in the Digital Transformation Era” (SIM DTE) in the InterContinental Regency Bahrain on May 2-3, 2023 bringing together keynote speakers from Poland, Canada, Turkey, Egypt and India. 

 

Dr. Hasan Almulla, President of UTB, welcomed the honorable excellencies, distinguished dignitaries, delegates and participants. He emphasized on two main objectives of the conference – promoting creative thinking in management and informatics and addressing business and technology problems that are faced by institutions and the industry scientifically through research, and panel discussions of experts to explore potential solutions. He thanked renowned organizations such as Bahrain Association of Banks (BAB) and Bahrain Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Society for their collaborative support in the realization of the conference initiatives. In the same way, he commended GFH Financial Group, Batelco, and Khaleeji Commercial Bank (KHCB) for their initiative to be part of this conference and enthusiasm to join the deliberations to overcome sustainability challenges in the Kingdom of Bahrain and for their generous support and contribution to the success of SIMDTE 2023. 

 

Speaking on behalf of the College of Administrative and Financial Sciences (CAFS) of UTB as the Conference Chair, Dr. Rania Nafea affirmed that the college and the university are abreast of the trends through its continuous enhancement of academic programmes and the research efforts of its faculty in the areas of digital transformation and sustainability and that they are aware of the opportunities and challenges in artificial intelligence and digitalization pose for businesses and customers, hence spearheading its first international conference in Bahrain that combines both academics, subject matter experts and business executives for in-depth discussions and networking. 

 

As UTB aspires to be a hub of knowledge dissemination and multidisciplinary exchange in the country, the SIMDTE conference provided high-calibre academicians, participants and partner industries with innovative ideas towards further discovery and application of knowledge across different fields of excellence. 

 

UTB is immensely grateful for everyone’s collaborative efforts to make the conference happen. It looks forward to hosting more events as an avenue to connect with other individuals, groups, and networks to create and strengthen community partnerships and shared goals.