The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Schwarzman College of Computing and the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) have officially launched the MIT–MBZUAI Collaborative Research Program. This new five-year initiative aims to bolster the core tenets of artificial intelligence and accelerate its deployment in addressing critical scientific and societal challenges.
Under the agreement, faculty, students, and research staff from both institutions will engage in fundamental research projects. Their work will focus on advancing AI’s technological underpinnings and exploring its applications across three vital domains: scientific discovery, human flourishing, and global environmental health.
Dan Huttenlocher, dean of the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, emphasized AI’s transformative impact on nearly every human endeavor. He highlighted MIT’s enriched leadership through international collaborations, affirming a shared commitment with MBZUAI to develop AI responsibly, inclusively, and with global impact. Huttenlocher stated the partnership would “explore new horizons in AI and bring broad benefits to society.”
MBZUAI President Eric Xing articulated that the agreement would unite researchers from two world-class institutions to drive frontier AI advancements. He described the collaboration as forging a “transcontinental bridge for discovery,” by combining MBZUAI’s expertise in foundational models and real-world implementation with MIT’s profound knowledge in computing and interdisciplinary innovation. Xing underscored the program’s dedication not only to expanding AI science but also to ensuring breakthroughs are pursued responsibly and applied where they are most impactful, including improving human health, enabling intelligent robotics, and fostering sustainable AI at scale.
To oversee the program, MIT has appointed Philip Isola, the Class of 1948 Career Development Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, as its program lead. MBZUAI’s Professor of Machine Learning, Le Song, will serve in the corresponding role for his institution.
The collaboration is financially supported by MBZUAI, located in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., which holds the distinction of being the world’s first university dedicated solely to AI advancement. The program will fund numerous joint research projects annually, with all findings slated for open publication. Each project will be co-led by a principal investigator from MIT and another from MBZUAI, with project selections determined by a joint steering committee comprising representatives from both universities.
