It is with a great pleasure and enthusiasm to welcome you to the Communication and Information Research Center (CIRC) website!

The center was established in 2002 to play a vital role as a dynamic research hub that is dedicated to conducting cutting-edge research for society and industry needs, and advancing knowledge and innovation in various emerging and advanced technologies in the field of information and communication, including but not limited to internet of things, smart sensing, antennas and radars for satellites, next-generation wireless networks, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and cybersecurity.

As we navigate the complexities of the digital era and the rapid growth of emerging communication technologies, our commitment to excellence becomes more critical than ever. In line with Oman Vision 2040, the center fosters interdisciplinary research collaboration with various identities, including government and industry bodies, and academia aiming to contribute with impact to the development of communication and information technologies to solve society needs through applied research and strategic partnerships.

Among the core of CIRC’s activities, the center offers consultancy services, technical support, workshops and training to both academia and industry partners in the field of advanced communication and information technologies, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. Additionally, the center strives to enhance its visibility and potential collaboration and services to extend over the region and beyond.

I thank you for visiting our website, and I hope you find its contents useful.

Vision:

CIRC aspires to have a national and regional leading role in research and also to be internationally recognized as an excellent hub of innovative research in Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

Mission:

The research mission of CIRC is to develop a research culture and capacity, generate knowledge and find solutions to the current and future challenges for ICT strategic issues in the Sultanate with the collaboration of national and international partners.

Objectives: 

The goal of the Communication and Information Research Center is to team with industrial partners to generate solutions to current and future technical challenges related to ICT topics. These solutions are most likely to involve the amalgamation off-the-shelf technology, advanced prototype technology and basic information technology research.

CIRC strives to achieve the following objectives:

1- Identify relevant world-class technologies and transfer it to industry.

2- Increase the flow of “Sultan Qaboos University” trained researchers skilled in the understanding and application of the strategic technologies.

3- Organize seminars, symposia, workshops and conferences on ICT issues with the assistance of local, regional and international partners.

Recent and Coming Activities: 

1- Second Blockchain Symposium December 2018.

2- Fourth Free and Open Source Software Conference February 2019.

3- International Symposium for Telemedicine and AI in Medicine February 2020.

4- Fifth Free and Open Source Software Conference February 2022.

5- Third Information Security Gathering April 2022.

IoT Lab
The Communication and Information Research Center (CIRC) has established the Internet of Things laboratory in April 2019 funded by Omantel and mOmkin to enhance IoT usage in Oman and the region by conducting training and research and enhancing teaching and learning. Internet of Things Laboratory has sufficient advanced resources e.g. computers, switches, access points, smart board, and others to do research and run most of the software scenarios, software development and testing. The IoT lab has different IoT tools including: Arduino kit, Raspberry-Pi 3 kit, IoTify simulator, Open Rex and more. The IoT Lab has the following objectives:

• Promote awareness on the use and development of Smart city solutions.

• Provide an attractive environment for research and networking between IoT and smart city users and experts.

• Share mutual experiences and discuss prospective implementations of Smart Cities

FOSS Lab
Communication and Information Research Center (CIRC) has established in 2013 Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) laboratory jointly with Information Technology Authority (ITA). The purpose of the FOSS lab is to enhance FOSS usage in Oman by research and delivering training and workshops. The lab hosts and offers variety of short courses for the students and the community in many diverse subjects. CIRC is supervising the students’ free & open source software society (FO3S) and opens the lab for them to use in training and to accomplish their projects.

Research, Consultancy and Training on Communications and Information technology which includes:

1- Artificial Intelligence.

2- Biomedical Engineering.

3- Communication Systems

4- Coding & Cryptography

5- Computer Hardware Design

6- Computer Networks (Wired, Wireless, Optical...)

7- Database Systems

8- Data Transmission

9- Electronic Commerce Information Systems

10- Internet of Things (IOT)

11- Multimedia (Computer Graphics, Audio and Image and Video Processing)

12- Network Security Robotics & Automation

13- Software Engineering

14- Sensors Networks

15- Signal Processing

16- Telemedicine

17- Smart Cities

Omantel Supported Projects