MBZUAI Expands AI Partnership with École Polytechnique
Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) has announced plans to deepen its partnership with France's AI ecosystem in 2025. This follows the expansion of its collaboration with École Polytechnique through a newly signed Collaborative Research Agreement.
The agreement aims to support mission-driven research led by core investigators from both institutions. Key focus areas include large language models, foundation models for reasoning, and AI applications in biology, health, and safety.
Professor Eric Xing, President and University Professor at MBZUAI, revealed the importance of this move. He stated that MBZUAI's partnerships in France are vital for advancing research and innovation. According to him, the agreement represents a blueprint for global collaboration to progress AI and share benefits across France and the UAE.
In February, MBZUAI signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with École Polytechnique. The MoU supports joint initiatives in education, research, and innovation. It was formalized during the AI Action Summit in France, where Professor Xing delivered a keynote on AI, science, and society.
Furthermore, in April, the two institutions signed a Scholars Exchange Program Agreement. This will allow the exchange of students and researchers between MBZUAI and École Polytechnique.
Laura Chaubard, Director General of École Polytechnique, welcomed the strengthened partnership. She reported strong scientific synergies in areas like AI for health, safety, and environmental sustainability, as well as in language and foundation models. She expressed confidence in future collaborative outcomes.
This strategic partnership marks a major step in accelerating joint research and nurturing future AI innovators.
MBZUAI's growing presence in France is also supported by its France Lab in Paris. The lab has already produced a family of open-source large language models (LLMs) known as Atlas-Chat. These models focus on the Moroccan Arabic dialect, Darija. Atlas-Chat-2B : optimized for fluent Darija text generation.
: optimized for fluent Darija text generation. Atlas-Chat-9B: designed for complex, context-rich tasks.
Additionally, the France Lab will play a key role in MBZUAI's upcoming Institute of Foundation Models (IFM). This global initiative will connect AI talent across Abu Dhabi, Silicon Valley, and Paris. The goal is to drive the development of the next generation of foundation models and ensure their global impact.
MBZUAI continues to position itself as a leader in international AI research and innovation.
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