The British University in Dubai (BUiD), the Middle East’s leading research-based postgraduate university, with the help of scholarship grants from key partners, today announced an increase in higher education professionals contributing to the local economy.
BUiD has received hundreds of students on scholarships since its inception in 2003. Each graduate on scholarship has been supported by BUiD and its partners to study and conduct research in dedicated areas, resulting in dissertations that strongly impact key issues affecting the country’s economic growth.
Since partnering with BUiD in 2005, Emirates Foundation has played an active role in improving the country’s knowledge economy by fully funding higher education to a total of 104 BUiD students taking up Masters degrees in Project Management, Sustainable Design of the Built Environment, and IT Management.
The Emirates Foundation is the nationwide philanthropic organisation committed to the UAE’s development, and serves as the governing body of an endowment fund capitalised by collectively through the private and public sectors under the leadership of H.E. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs (Chairman of the Foundation).
“We are proud to be associated with such a proactive entity as the Emirates Foundation. The Foundation has played a key role in supporting research and education in key industry sectors, by giving a large number of UAE students the opportunity to develop leaders skills and abilities in their respective fields, and contribute to the advancement of our country,” said Professor Abdullah Alshamsi, Vice-Chancellor, BUiD.
“As we enter a new decade, we look forward to an even stronger knowledge economy, and further developments within industry sectors through highly skilled professionals partaking in local education,” added Professor Alshamsi.
Dissertation topics that have been completed by graduates of BUiD under the Emirates Foundation scholarship include: Evaluation of Strategic Performance Management in Government Organisations, Evaluating the Success Factors of Emiratisation in the Banking Sector, and Enhancing Emiratisation in the Private Sector.
Muna Al Sayegh, a BUiD graduate through the Emirates Foundation scholarship, who is currently employed at General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs-Dubai, said: “Through my scholarship with Emirates Foundation, I was very fortunate to be able to conduct intensive research and take up my Masters at BUiD, a University regarded for some of the best Masters programmes in the UAE through its partnership with leading UK universities. My research has been applied to my everyday business practices and I am proud to have contributed to the growth of my country’s economy.”
The Emirates Foundation plays an important role in local research, while also offering students and education professionals grants and external scholarships. In 2009, Emirates Foundation supported research on issues relating to education for children with special needs, conducted by Dr. Eman Gaad, Senior Lecturer for Education at BUiD.
BUiD has this year offered the largest number of scholarships since its inception in 2003, providing more applicants with the opportunity to acquire accredited masters education.
Approximately 60 percent of the 2009 September intake were provided scholarships from BUiD and its partners which include Emirates Foundation, and Atkins.
