The University of Birmingham, based in Dubai International Academic City (DIAC), the region’s leading destination for academic excellence, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mintra, a start-up that provides AI-based mental health solutions within the in5 start-up and entrepreneur incubator, to advance research related to AI-based mental health solutions for university students.
The agreement was signed by Professor Yousra Mezoughi, Dean of the University of Birmingham – Dubai, and Dr Adiniki Dairo, Founder and CEO of Mintra, in the presence of Dr Afsana Fahim, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Birmingham Dubai, and Marwan Abdulaziz Janahi, Senior Vice President, TECOM Group, Dubai Knowledge Park, Dubai International Academic City and Dubai Science Park.
The signed agreement reflects the opportunities for collaboration on innovation offered by TECOM Group’s specialised business parks, including Mintra’s start-up and entrepreneur incubator in5, where Mintra originated, and Dubai International Academic City, home to the University of Birmingham – Dubai campus.
The partnership, a landmark achievement in the region’s health technology sector that contributes to students’ mental and physical wellbeing, aims to evaluate culturally sensitive AI-based intervention solutions within the diverse student community in the UAE and the wider region. The community encompasses more than 33,500 students across Dubai International Academic City and Dubai Knowledge Park.
Commenting on the announcement, Professor Yousra Mezoughi, Dean of the University of Birmingham – Dubai, stated: “The latest technological innovations in artificial intelligence are providing effective tools to support youth growth and skills development, in light of the increasing mental health challenges in our digital age. Today’s pioneering collaboration with Mintra, the start-up at in5, allows us to harness such innovations and capitalise on their potential, as well as further our research on the growing role technology plays in improving people’s lives. As a prominent local university, we are proud to contribute to the objectives of the National Wellbeing Strategy 2031 by integrating responsible, successful research-based solutions with our ambitious academic goals.”
Dr Adiniki Dairo, Founder and CEO of Mintra, commented: “This partnership is a significant milestone for Mintra as the collaboration with the University of Birmingham – Dubai allows us to highlight the tremendous potential of AI as an effective tool to deliver mental health services at the highest academic level. We are proud to contribute to this initiative, which focuses first and foremost on innovation to maintain students’ mental and physical wellbeing and facilitate their access to care. Today, through our collaboration with TECOM Group and its in5 incubator, we are proving that meaningful innovation can take off locally and then expand globally.”
Marwan Abdulaziz Janahi, Senior Vice President of TECOM Group – Dubai Knowledge Park, Dubai International Academic City and Dubai Science Park, noted that impactful innovation requires concerted efforts to enhance knowledge exchange between different sectors and broaden the horizons of joint cooperation, highlighting that TECOM Group’s leading business parks provide an ideal environment to enable such collaboration. “At TECOM Group, we are keen to support qualitative partnerships between forward-thinking start-ups, leading academic institutions and industry leaders, in order to contribute to promoting innovation and achieving the objectives of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, Dubai Social Agenda 33 and the Dubai Research and Development Programme,” he stated.
As part of the agreement, Mintra and the University of Birmingham – Dubai will conduct joint research, explore internship opportunities, and organise specialist lectures and networking opportunities with industry leaders.
The partnership will enable in5, the region’s leading start-up incubator, which has supported more than 1,000 start-ups since its inception by TECOM Group in 2013, to enter into further collaboration agreements with universities and industry leaders within TECOM Group’s integrated business community.
TECOM Group has more than 12,000 clients from leading global and regional companies, with over 137,000 specialised employees across six key sectors of the knowledge-based economy. TECOM Group’s portfolio of leading specialist business parks includes Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, Dubai Studio City, Dubai Production City, Dubai Knowledge Park, Dubai International Academic City, Dubai Science Park, Dubai Design District and Dubai Industrial City.
