LCP delegation visits British University in Dubai to foster collaboration

A delegation of the Leeds Centre for Projects recently visited the British University in Dubai (BUiD), UAE, marking a significant step towards fostering collaboration between the two institutions. BUiD is a leading research-intensive university in the Arab Region. It is ranked 1st for papers per member of staff and 3rd for citations per paper by the QS World University Ranking for the Arab Region (2023). It has a strong emphasis on PhD education incl. a PhD in Project Management as well as a portfolio of MSc programmes in the field of project management.

During the visit, representatives from the LCP, BUiD as well as the University of Manchester, a longstanding partner of BUiD, engaged in a series of productive meetings and discussions with the aim to build stronger academic ties.

The delegation had the opportunity to meet the leadership teams of the Dubai Blockchain Centre as well as the Digital School. The Dubai Blockchain Centre an innovation hub for blockchain technology leading activities in education and training, certification and incubation and acceleration programmes. The Digital School is a non-profit organisation aiming to provide a certified online education to students who do not have easy access to formal education. The initiative particularly targets young people in refugee camps and marginalised communities, irrespective of their social, economic and educational backgrounds.

Our hosts at BUiD organised a visit for us to the Museum of the Future which showcases Dubai’s ambitions on future innovation showing what is possible with conviction, commitment and togetherness. This ranges from living in space to sustainability endeavours and the human health and wellbeing.

The visit also included meetings with the Vice Chancellor of BUiD, Prof Abdullah Alshamsi, who is an alumnus of the University of Leeds’ School of Civil Engineering. Sharing memories of the Leeds campus, of living in Headingley and of working in the labs was certainly captivating.

We are very excited about the prospects of this partnership and look forward to a fruitful and enduring collaboration.