UAE: University-Industry Partnership

The United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), a leading national university, has officially launched an education programme 'Ta'awon' in partnership with the Dubai Aluminium Company and other leading businesses. The programme aims to promote the role of the university in leading scientific and engineering research for the UAE, allowing students to work with companies on real-life science and engineering challenges and is a first step in implementing the Gulf country's 'UAE Vision 2021' project which focuses on using innovation, research, science and technology to build a knowledge-based, highly productive and competitive economy. The idea is diversification and creating sustainable wealth, driven by entrepreneurs in a business-friendly environment where public and private sectors form effective partnerships. Announced in late March, the private-public cooperation programme focuses on reforming higher education so it gives graduates greater competence as innovators and they can then enhance the economic growth of the country by developing its human resources capabilities. This is a Dubai initiative to enhance industry collaboration with prominent universities in the UAE embodying a commitment to giving UAEU students exceptional opportunities to work on genuine engineering problems and aiming at providing support for students enrolled in engineering colleges, with respect to their graduation projects.

An economic report published by the National Bank of Dubai in December 2007 stated that the UAE had increased the share of engineering and science students to 29% of all higher education students in an attempt to encourage innovators in its economy. A composite ranking index focusing on the quality, performance and volume of research, and the rate of growth for research quality in various regional organisations classed the UAEU as the top university among the six other Arab Gulf States, second among the 22 Arab States and ninth among 57 Islamic countries.

Source: Sciencedev.net Bulletin, 18^th April 2010