Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum on Thursday inaugurated the first-ever overseas campus of Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) at the Dubai International Academic City (DIAC).
The inauguration ceremony was held in presence of UAE’s acting minister of higher education and scientific research Dr. Abdulrahman Abdulmannan Al Awar and India’s Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who was on a two-day visit to the UAE.
Welcoming India’s top business school’s campus to Dubai, Maktoum said that the opening of IIM-A’s first international campus in the emirate reflects the deep-rooted ties and growing partnership between the UAE and India.
“The energy and ambition of our youth are the driving forces of Dubai’s future, and by equipping them with the knowledge, skills, and values to succeed in a rapidly changing international environment, we are empowering them to lead with confidence,” he added.
Speaking on the occasion, Pradhan said that the establishment of IIM-A Dubai campus is “another big leap towards globalisation of India’s education as envisioned by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi”. He added that the insitute’s Dubai campus will take the best of India to the world.
IIM-A Dubai will tentatively begin its academic activities by the end of September with a full-time one-year MBA for working professionals and entrepreneurs.
{{/usCountry}}IIM-A Dubai will tentatively begin its academic activities by the end of September with a full-time one-year MBA for working professionals and entrepreneurs.
{{/usCountry}}Pradhan thanked the UAE for supporting Indian institutions in Dubai and stressed upon India’s talent strength and UAE’s economic prominence in deepening bilateral ties, the education ministry said in a statement.
He also held a roundtable discussion with officials of Indian institutions Manipal University, Symbiosis University, BITS Pilani, and Amity University – which have established their campuses in Dubai – and outlined the need to move research from papers to products. He also interacted with principals of 109 Indian schools in the UAE (with others joining virtually) and announced that 12 UAE schools will set up Atal Tinkering Labs to promote innovation among students.
On his first day of UAE visit, Pradhan on Wednesday inaugurated the Atal Incubation Centre (AIC) at IIT Delhi’s Abu Dhabi campus, a first-ever AIC hosted in an Indian institution overseas. He also launched B.Tech and Ph.D programs in chemical engineering and energy and sustainability at IIT Delhi Abu Dhabi.