Birzeit University delegation participates in workshop on smart cities in Rome

A delegation from Birzeit University participated in a workshop at Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, to discuss the EU-funded project “e-Academy to Support Smart Cities Operations (eSCO)” that is led by Birzeit University.

The university and its Erasmus+ partners discussed and reviewed the accomplishments reached so far and set out timeframes and action plans for every partner, to be implemented in the upcoming period.

The workshop included a one-day visit to “e-Distibuzione,” a distribution system operator (DSO) that is a subsidiary of Enel, Italy’s largest power company and Europe’s second-listed utility by installed capacity. The participants were introduced to the tools and utilities that are available in the operator and to the means in which they are used to support smart cities. The delegation also learned about smart meters and home automation.

This project aims to build the capacities and enhance the human skills of Palestinian academics, fresh graduates, and technicians and support the establishment and operation of smart cities in Palestine, thereby also reducing unemployment. It will focus on three fields that are considered enablers for smart cities, namely IT security, telecommunication and computer networks, and smart grids.

The participants in eSCO include Birzeit University (as project coordinator), Al Quds University, Islamic University of Gaza, Ramallah Municipality, the Palestinian Ministry of Telecommunication and Information Technology, University of Salford (UK), University of Malaga (Spain), and Sapienza University.

Birzeit University was represented by faculty members at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Jaser Sa’ed, Muhammad Abu- Khaizaran and Abdallatif Abuissa.