Memorandum of Understanding Signed Between IVI, the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications, and the Council for Advanced Technology Research of the United Arab Emirates

The acting director of the Institute for Artificial Intelligence of Serbia, Prof. Dr. Dubravko Ćulibrk, Minister of Information and Telecommunications Prof. Dr. Mihailo Jovanović, and the Secretary-General of the Council for Advanced Technology Research of the United Arab Emirates, His Excellency Mr. Faisal Al Bannai, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding today, within the World Government Summit 2024 in Dubai.

This collaboration aims to utilize the technical expertise of the UAE’s Council for Advanced Technology Research, the possibility of using the open-source Falcon, and solutions based on it for further development of artificial intelligence in Serbia.

“By integrating Falcon open-source models worldwide, our goal is to encourage progress in the research and development of artificial intelligence. Partnerships with governments around the globe are crucial for creating an environment where innovations flourish, ensuring that artificial intelligence becomes a driving force for positive change”, said the acting director of IVI, Prof. Dr. Ćulibrk.

“The Government of the Republic of Serbia began developing artificial intelligence in 2019 when it adopted the AI Development Strategy for the period up to 2025. In 2021, the Institute was established, and the first National Platform for Artificial Intelligence Development was launched, offering its resources for free to technical faculties, institutes, and startups within science and technology parks. Thanks to this initiative, the Serbian Government was recognized as one of the most innovative at the Global Summit in Dubai in 2022. Now, we are taking a step further, and thanks to the expertise of the United Arab Emirates’ Council for New Technology Development (ATRC), we are starting to use and apply the open-source Falcon for AI development in Serbia. This step will help us in realizing further modernization projects in the Serbia 2027 Program and strengthening Serbia’s position as a technological and digital leader in the Southeast Europe region”, emphasized Minister Jovanović.

“Artificial intelligence is a powerful catalyst for innovation, especially in developing countries. Collaboration with Serbia marks a key milestone in the integration of artificial intelligence into the fabric of technological progress. Our joint commitment to Falcon open-source models ensures a dynamic and inclusive approach to the global advancement of artificial intelligence capabilities”, said the Secretary-General of the Council for Advanced Technology Research UAE, His Excellency Mr. Faisal Al Bannai.

Falcon is a family of powerful, large, open-source language models developed by the Institute for Technological Innovation, a branch of the UAE’s Council for Advanced Technology Research for applied research.