Sina Institute R & D strategy

Abstract

In this document we present the results of the Work Package 1 (WP1) of the project entitled Integrating Sina Institute into the European Research Area (SIERA) #295006. In accordance with the stipulations, the goal of WP1 is to revise the research and development (R&D) strategy for the Sina Institute for Knowledge Engineering and Arabic Technologies (Sina Institute) of the Birzeit University (BZU). The Sina Institute is a research unit within Birzeit University and technically a part of the Faculty of Information Technology. The center is the largest research center dedicated to the Information Communication and Technology (ICT) field in Palestine. In addition to this, achievements include being awarded grants and support from Google™, the European Union (EU) Tempus program, and actually the SIERA project. The WP1 aims to widen and revise the R&D strategy of BZU Sina Institute according to the needs of the regional and EU societies in the area of Arabic/multilingual and multicultural knowledge sharing technologies. Accordingly, an assessment of both society and local stakeholders needs (Task 1.1: Assess society needs) have been carried out to identify the relevant issues to final revised R&D strategy of BZU Sina Institute (Task 1.2). Thus, the deliverable has been structured in three Parts: in Part I (Society Needs Assessment), and Part II (Local stakeholders’needs assessment) we discuss the results of the activities carried out in Task 1.1, while Part III presents the revised SINA R&D Strategy, and its action plan