Dubai, UAE, 27 October 2013: ICT Fund, an initiative by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), which supports the national ICT sector through financing innovative projects in the UAE, concluded its successful participation at Gitex by signing agreements with both the 'UAE University' and 'Abu Dhabi Polytechnic' to join the Betha programme. ICT Fund will fully finance scholarships to distinguished male and female Emirati students who are studying ICT-related disciplines.

ICF Fund, through its partnership with 'UAE University', has allocated 30 seats for Emirati students seeking master's degrees in ICT-related disciplines, and a monthly salary of AED 10,000 for each, in addition to providing 50 seats for Bachelor's degrees with monthly salaries of AED 5,000. With regards to the partnership with 'Abu Dhabi Polytechnic', ICT Fund has allocated 25 seats for Higher Diploma in Information Security Engineering Technology which extends for a period of three years.

ICT Fund also announced the addition of 30 seats for Master's degrees at Khalifa University in addition to the original number of 50 seats for Bachelor's degree, to provide UAE with a fresh set of graduates for the ICT sector.

Betha is an initiative to enhance the stature and role of the national education sector through supporting and sponsoring scientifically distinguished students to boost the education process in the UAE in all scientific majors that are based on the UAE needs. The initiative comes as a by-product of the growing demand for UAE national human resources specialized in the telecoms sector and related fields.

"We are pleased that both UAE University and Abu Dhabi Polytechnic have joined us as partners." said H.E. Dr. Abdulqader Al Khayat, ICT Fund Chairman of the Board of trustees. "The signing today proves our significant success since initiation. It reflects the accomplishments we are achieving in spreading awareness about the ICT sector that will enable us to construct a knowledge based economy." he added.

ICT Fund calls all students within the ICT disciplines who are interested in a Bachelor's or Master's degree to apply now for a scholarship under Betha to join a number of local universities such as Khalifa University, Masdar Institute, AUD, AUS, Rochester Institute of Technology, University of Sharjah, the American University of Ras al Khaimah and Overseas scholarship office.

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About Betha
Within the TRA strategy in developing the human resources specialized in ICT, the TRA launched its initiative Betha (Arabic for Scholarship), to enhance the stature and role of the national education sector through supporting and sponsoring scientifically distinguished students to boost the education process in the UAE in all scientific majors that are based on the UAE needs; the initiative is also as a by-product of the growing demand for UAE national human resources specialized in the telecoms sector and related fields.

Hence, the TRA evaluated the present standing of the national human capital that is specialized in ICT and discovered that the number of the national graduates that are specialized in these fields does not satisfy the growing need of this sector and the development it witnesses annually. Thus, the TRA launched Betha to sponsor a full scholarship for academically distinguished students from both genders from all over the Emirates of the UAE, to study in the world's leading universities abroad, majoring in ICT and related subjects, to serve the UAE society in general and the ICT sector in specific.

TRA through Betha has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Colleges and Universities in the country to handle the selection of the students and to supervise them during their study period.

About ICT Fund
The ICT Fund is an initiative of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority that aims to spur the creation of a significant ICT industry in the UAE. To achieve this, ICT Fund provides targeted funding and support services to individuals, academic institutions and companies, and empowers them to develop the innovation and knowledge capital of the UAE ICT sector through education, applied and basic research, and entrepreneurship. The ICT Fund strives to promote a culture of entrepreneurship in the UAE ICT sector and to develop linkages between industry and academia. Additionally, it promotes the involvement of UAE nationals in the realm of scientific and technology research in order to foster technology creation and development in the UAE. The ICT Fund is driven by a strong vision to reinforce ICT as a leading sector in the United Arab Emirates' economy. The ICT Fund believes that a global leadership position for the UAE ICT sector can be attained by investing in innovative ideas that contribute to the intellectual growth of the sector, yielding measurable results.
For more information, please visit ICT Fund website: www.ictfund.gov.ae

© Press Release 2013