Roads & Transport Authority - News Details

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has renewed its strategic partnership with the University of Birmingham Dubai, a collaboration originally established through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2019. The renewed agreement outlines a comprehensive roadmap for joint efforts over the next two years (2025–2026), encompassing nine key projects and initiatives designed to advance research, development, and innovation while strengthening human capital and future research capabilities in advanced transport technologies.

This renewal reflects RTA’s commitment to shaping the future of transport through collaboration with leading global institutions. It also reinforces the Authority’s leadership in mobility innovation and its dedication to supporting research in safety, sustainability, and integrated mobility solutions.

The upcoming initiatives include evaluating the establishment of virtual research and innovation centres, developing specialised academic programmes focused on future mobility, assessing engineering competencies, expanding capacity-building in artificial intelligence, launching research on next-generation mobility systems, and establishing an integrated framework to address pressing transport challenges. These projects aim to nurture talent, accelerate innovation, and support the development of smarter, more sustainable transport systems.

The collaboration between RTA and the University of Birmingham has already yielded tangible outcomes, including the training and development of 350 employees, support for 25 start-ups, and the organisation of more than 50 events through the Transportation Research and Innovation Pavilion (TRIP), launched at the university in February 2023, which plays a pivotal role in aligning efforts in research and sustainability, fostering youth-led innovation, and helping start-ups bring their concepts to market. 

Muna Al Osaimi, CEO of the Strategy and Corporate Governance Sector at RTA, reaffirmed the Authority’s strategic focus on research, development, and innovation. “The partnership with the University of Birmingham aligns with RTA’s vision to lead in transport and mobility innovation while equipping the next generation of engineers and researchers with the essential skills needed to tackle today’s most pressing transport challenges and drive global innovation,” she said.

Al Osaimi added: “Our long-standing collaboration with the University has delivered several meaningful outcomes, most notably the establishment of TRIP in 2023. The facility plays a key role in supporting research into infrastructure, urban planning, and sustainability, and in cultivating creativity and forward-thinking among young talents. TRIP fosters an innovation-driven environment through events and initiatives that encourage collaboration and experimentation. It also provides valuable insight into accelerator programmes and contributes actively to the publication of specialised research.”

Professor Yusra Mouzughi, Provost of the University of Birmingham Dubai, highlighted the significance of expanding the partnership through nine newly agreed initiatives. She emphasised the central role that collaboration plays in driving innovation and shaping the future of transport in the UAE.

“This partnership supports RTA’s ambition for sustainable, safe, and forward-looking mobility through research, education, and postgraduate studies,” she said. “As a future-focused academic institution, we are proud to contribute to RTA’s journey—particularly in critical areas such as transport safety, sustainability, integrated mobility, autonomous systems, artificial intelligence, and robotics,” she concluded.