Under the patronage of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and with the slogan, “Together We Shape a Future Worthy of the Universities of Iraq”, the Center of Excellence for Innovation and Development (CEID) at the American University of Iraq-Baghdad (AUIB) hosted the launching ceremony of the National Universities Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Competition (NURAI 2026), attended by Deputy Minister for Scientific Research, Dr. Haidar Abed Dahd, Ministry officials, Presidents of some of the most prominent Iraqi universities, AUIB President and university cadre, representatives of private sector institutions, and a host of interested parties.
The overarching objective of NURAI is to “bridge ideation with application, and universities with the job market,” as per the organizers of the program. Through such educational and research programs, Iraqi universities act as engines of innovation and advancement, and collectively, they act as “a lynchpin for a healthy, prosperous society,” drawing upon Iraq’s “greatest resource,” the energy, passion, and skills of its youth, said AUIB President, Dr. Bradley Cook, in his opening speech. He seized the opportunity to call upon his peers, the university presidents in attendance, to “join arms” as collaborators, rather than competitors, as “we have much to do” in working towards advancing education for a prosperous Iraq.
The presence of Deputy Minister Dr. Abed Dahd was by no means symbolic, as he gave a lengthy presentation titled, “Artificial Intelligence in Education and Scientific Research: Iraqi Universities’ Gateway to the Future”, where he considered AI as not merely a technology, but “a new thought process and an approach that charts our course in work and life.” He expounded, in the same context, on his Ministry’s vision to make higher education “a system that is based on analysis, problem solving, and innovation,” moving away “from knowledge transfer to building knowledge.”
