Beyond its formal affiliate members, the Khalifa University 6G Research Center collaborates with a wide network of external research institutions and industrial organizations, both within the UAE and internationally. These collaborations and partnerships enhance the center’s research capabilities and global reach. They include:
- Industrial Collaborators: Aside from affiliate sponsors, KU 6GRC works closely with local R&D organizations. Notably, it has a strong partnership with the Technology Innovation Institute (TII) in Abu Dhabi, with which it co-hosts events and shares research goals in advanced telecommunication. The center has also engaged with companies like Fugro (a geotechnical and remote sensing firm) and Medad Holding, among others, on specialized projects. These industry collaborations often focus on domain-specific applications of 6G – for example, using 6G sensing for oil & gas exploration or integrating satellite communications for remote sensing.
- Academic and Research Institutions: KU 6GRC has established partnerships with universities and labs worldwide to jointly tackle research problems and exchange knowledge. Among its collaborators are Michigan Technological University (USA) and leading French institutions such as CentraleSupélec and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS). The center has ties with University of Lorraine (France) and the University of Manchester (UK) for joint research in communication theory and signal processing. In the Middle East, it partners with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia on topics like terahertz communications. Collaborations extend to Université Paris-Saclay (France) and University of Birmingham (UK/UAE), as well as North American institutions including Virginia Tech, Concordia University (Canada), Polytechnique Montréal / ÉTS (Canada), and others. The center also connects with regional universities such as the Lebanese American University (LAU). These partnerships are often formalized through Memoranda of Understanding or joint projects and enable sharing of testbed resources, student exchanges, and co-authored publications.
- Consortia and Initiatives: The 6G Research Center participates in international consortia that shape 6G research directions. For instance, as mentioned, KU 6GRC was a key player in the IEEE ComSoc GenAI-Net initiative on AI in telecom. It is likely also involved in ITU-R working groups or 6G Alliance forums, ensuring representation of the UAE’s perspective. Furthermore, the center collaborates with national bodies like the UAE’s Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), which co-sponsored the 6G white paper, to align research with policy and spectrum regulation strategies.
Through these collaborations, the KU 6GRC expands its expertise beyond what a single center could achieve alone. Partner institutions contribute complementary strengths (for example, one university might bring expertise in photonics or in AI ethics, to combine with KU 6GRC’s wireless focus). Such partnerships also elevate the center’s profile globally, positioning Khalifa University as an important node in the emerging international 6G research community.
