Tech.Mt and University of Malta sign cooperation agreement in technology innovation with eight Italian universities
Agreement between Tech.Mt, University of Malta and eight Italian universities will open doors to exciting opportunities for current and future tech graduates
by Paul Cocks
The Minister for the Economy and Industry, Silvio Schembri, today presided over the signing of a cooperation agreement between Tech.Mt, the University of Malta and eight Italian Universities renowned in the field of computer studies and technology.
The participating Italian Universities – ranking among the top 20 – are the Università degli Studi de Camerino, Universita’ degli Studi di Catania, Universita’ degli Studi di Ferrara, Universita’ degli Studi di Genova. Universita’ degli Studi di Milano, Universita’ degli Studi di Perugia, Universita’ del Piemonte Orientale and Universita’ degli Studi di Verona.
Schembri said the cooperation agreement would open doors to exciting opportunities to current and future tech graduates. It would also the very exploration and growth of digital economy.
“Tech.Mt, the University of Malta and these eight renowned Italian Universities will work closely together. If, for instance, a student would like to work in Malta or vice versa, they would first identify what the industry needs, followed then by the exportation of talent bridging the gap through placements or internships,” he said. “This is a collaboration which sets the tone on the development of digital economy in Malta and beyond as well as strengthens the sharing of knowledge, research and scientific progression for the benefit of all.”
The aim of the cooperation is three-fold. First, there have been undeniably important developments in the various areas of technology and innovation on both a local and international level.
Secondly, there is dire necessity for mutual cooperation for the development of technologies such as cloud applications, internet of things, distributed ledger technologies, machine learning and big data analytics, as well as artificial intelligence, a sector in which Malta is amongst the first in the world to have created its own strategy.
Third, the continuous and considerable demand for human resources within the tech sector cannot be satisfied solely through home-grown talent but also requires the attraction of human capital.
This shall strengthen the academic interchange, promote technological research capabilities between Malta and Italy as well as for both countries to attract new talent from overseas academia.
“From an educational perspective, research which may vary from robotics and biotech to machine learning, data science and bio informatics amongst others will be further strengthened for Maltese researchers when applying for European funds with the backing of the University of Malta and these universities,” Schembri said.
“Moreover, if a Maltese student would like to specialise in an area which in our case is limited, such as space, through this agreement that student will be given the opportunity to pursue their studies or academic experience within a reputable overseas university.”
Tech.Mt chairman Mark Bugeja said that through such agreements – focusing on creating opportunities for students, graduates and academics – Tech.mt aims to fulfil its mission to facilitate connections between academia and industry, to ensure that the educational system keeps producing high-quality individuals across industry verticals and therefore meet the demand required to keep the local tech sector flourishing.
