Leading figures from the fields of government, industry and academia have congratulated The British University in Dubai (BUiD) on the major achievements carried out during its second academic year.
In particular, attention has been paid to the University’s success in attracting a large student body of UAE nationals, as well as graduates from 20 other nationalities.
During the past academic year, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with Dubai’s Department of Economic Development which will lead to the creation of a research agenda for Dubai and a further MoU agreed with the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which will lead to the identification of training and research needs for organisations in Abu Dhabi.
Writing in the British University in Dubai Annual Review, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said: “The international successes achieved by the students are particularly impressive and I congratulate them and the staff of the University who taught and encouraged them.
“BUiD’s contribution to the community is growing nicely. In particular, involvement in initiatives that will improve the quality of education delivered to certain groups in UAE schools and guide the development of educational policy represents a significant step forward. Other initiatives that will enable more professional practices in Dubai to become world class and lead to improvements in the quality of services offered have great potential and show the unique position of BUiD,” he added.
Students from 20 nationalities currently study at BUiD, with almost half being UAE nationals. The University has attracted students from across the GCC while receiving a growing number of applications from across the Arab world, as well as India and Pakistan. Currently 44 per cent of the students enrolled on one of the six Masters programmes are women.
Research conducted at the individual institutes has already made a positive impact in the region with experts at the Institutes of Education and Informatics involved in a major project studying the language development of children and adults with Down Syndrome in Arabic-speaking countries.
Researchers at the Institute of Informatics are also working on a study investigating the readiness and challenges for electronic commerce in the GCC.
A further project involves the cataloguing of Arabic speech databases based on an Arabic library system. The system, one of the first of its kind in the world, will enable the effective retrieval of speech files in Arabic and English.
BUiD’s staff has shared their research through presentations at national and international conferences and through publication in academic journals. Their regular contributions to industry specific journals and other publications have led to recognition of BUiD’s staff as expert commentators in the region.
“The University has built a strong reputation for the high quality of its programmes and research in its first two years and we look forward to continuing this growth into our third year,” said David Lock, Registrar and Acting CEO of BUiD.
“New initiatives are planned working in close collaboration with our UK university partners to help further contribute to the economic and social development of the UAE and the Arab world.”
About British University in Dubai
The British University in Dubai (BUiD) is the Middle East’s first research-based, postgraduate university. The University was established to facilitate access to world-class education, training and research in the Middle East. BUiD aspires to the highest, internationally recognized British standards as reflected in its partnership with the University of Edinburgh, the University of Birmingham, the University of Manchester, Cardiff University and now the Cass Business School at City University, London. Each has a five or five-star rating in the UK national Research Assessment Exercise that signifies research of international standard.
The not-for-profit university offers full and part-time Masters Degree programmes and Continuing Professional Development courses in Information Technology, Project Management, the Built Environment, Finance and Banking, Education and IT Management.
All BUiD’s current Masters Programmes have received Accreditation Eligibility Status from the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research’s Commission for Academic Accreditation.
The founders of the University are the Al Maktoum Foundation, the Dubai Development and Investment Authority, Rolls-Royce, the British Business Group and the National Bank of Dubai. The University is governed by a Council under the chairmanship of Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum.
The Emirates Group, DUCAB, Atkins, Dubai Duty Free, Hyder Consulting, the Emirates Foundation and DUGAS are supporters of the university through financial contributions or the provision of scholarships.
