Dubai – United Arab Emirates: Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester - one of the world’s leading universities - has visited the UAE for the first time, having led a University team that focused on ongoing and potential future research and other collaborations with UAE institutions. The delegation* included the University’s leaders in international relations, strategic partnerships, and the CEO of Graphene@Manchester.

In Abu Dhabi, the delegation met with senior representatives from the Ministry of Education, Khalifa University, Mubadala and New York University. In Dubai, the team met with the British University in Dubai (BUiD), Knowledge & Human Development Authority (KHDA), Dubai International Academic City, social responsibility partner - Dubai Cares, staff at the University’s Centre and senior alumni. The delegation also visited UAE cultural destinations and participated in a mangrove planting social responsibility event with Emirates Marine Environmental Group, along with staff, students and alumni.

The University of Manchester is already collaborating with Khalifa University on the applications of graphene, the revolutionary advanced material first isolated in Manchester and which has the potential to deliver transformational technologies and help address some of the world’s key challenges, from clean drinking water to supporting a circular ‘green economy’. The delegation met with Khalifa University’s leadership committee and toured the Abu Dhabi campus.

The Manchester delegation visited the University’s Middle East Centre in Dubai to meet staff and commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Centre, which has embedded the University in the region and developed a series of collaborations with corporate and social responsibility partners. Dame Nancy congratulated Middle East Director Randa Bessiso and her team on their success in growing and supporting a vibrant regional community of students and alumni, and saw the potential to expand further the Centre’s role across research relationships and business engagement in the region.

Speaking at the University’s Middle East Centre in Dubai, Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, said: “Personal contact is so important and I have been enormously impressed by the warmth and openness of the people in the UAE, and encouraged by the interest in our University. Academic and industry partnerships are critical to successful research, teaching and innovation, and the UAE is making a major impact through the graphene development work with Khalifa University and our Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre, supported by Masdar. We found strong mutual interests in addressing the world’s major challenges across our three pillars of teaching and learning, research and social responsibility. Our visit has opened new opportunities for further collaborations, building on the work of our very successful Middle East Centre and a very engaged regional community of students and alumni. I am already looking forward to my next visit.”

The Middle East Centre is part of the University’s international network comprising five hubs in key business cities around the world. It has students of over 100 nationalities. The Middle East Centre has supported over 3,000 part-time master’s students based in the region and has graduated more than 2,000 master’s students since opening in 2006.

The University of Manchester is ranked among the world’s top 50 universities and one of the world's leading universities for impact towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

*Delegation members included Professor Stephen Flint, Associate Vice-President International; Richard Cotton, Director, Student Recruitment and International Development; Dale Cooper – Deputy Director (Strategic Partnerships); and James Baker – CEO, Graphene@Manchester.

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About The University of Manchester

The University of Manchester is a member of the prestigious Russell Group and is one of the UK’s largest single-site universities with more than 40,000 students on campus – including more than 10,000 international students. The University is consistently ranked among the world’s elite institutions for graduate employability and world-class research across a diverse range of fields including cancer, advanced materials, global inequalities, energy and industrial biotechnology. 25 Nobel laureates have either worked or studied at the University, which is the only UK University to have social responsibility among its core strategic objectives, dedicated to making a positive difference in communities around the world.

About The University of Manchester Middle East Centre

The University of Manchester’s Middle East Centre at Dubai Knowledge Park opened in 2006 and is the largest and fastest growing in the University’s international network comprising five hubs in the key business cities around the world. The Centre has supported over 3,000 Manchester Global Part-time master’s students in the region and graduated more than 2,000 MBA students. The Centre also works in regional collaborations with a range of industry groups, professional bodies and companies, and supports a regional alumni association with over 2,800 members.

www.manchester.ac.ae

Issued on behalf of The University of Manchester Middle East Centre by WPR:
Media contact:
Jonathan Walsh, 050 4588610 jon@wprme.net