Abu Dhabi, November 8th 2006 - Abu Dhabi University and the UK-based Al Maktoum Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies signed a Memorandum of Understanding in a press conference held in the capital yesterday. Signed by ADU's Chairman, HE Ali Saeed Bin Harmal Al Dhaheri, and Al Maktoum Institute's Chairman, Mr. Mirza Al-Sayegh, the MoU will help both parties advance their academic and scientific relationships in the hope of promoting the study of the Arabic language and Islam.

The memorandum refers to eleven main activities: Student exchange; staff exchange; joint research projects and conferences; joint publication; the exchange of examiners; the exchange of educational materials; joint academic programmes; the exchange of information (e.g. conducting seminars); personnel visits; funding of joint projects and programmes, and joint planning.  It recognizes the importance of international academic cooperation between the two universities and of pro-active engagement in a wider international scholarly community, involving staff, faculty and students.

"We are always expanding our portfolio of international affiliations, and with this MoU, both cultural and academic purposes are highlighted. We are certain that this positive step towards an educational reform will change the way our students feel about educational and cultural exchanges," said HE Ali Saeed Bin Harmal Al Dhaheri, ADU.

Representatives from Al Maktoum Institute, which is a part of the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, have also expressed their appreciation of such a MoU. "Abu Dhabi University has progressed immensely since its launch and partnering with them will enable us to open many doors in the UAE, as well as in the UK," said Mirza Al-Sayegh, Chairman. "This memorandum will give students a prosepective outlook on the differences in teachings and cultures that ADU and the UAE as a whole offer; it will help evolve the way we educate our students," he added.

-Ends- 

Note to Editors
About Abu Dhabi University:
Abu Dhabi University was chartered as a private institution of higher learning in the year 2000 under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and President of the University of Abu Dhabi Board of Trustees and Governors. The University is licensed by the Ministry of Education with all its degree programs accredited. The University of Abu Dhabi currently serves over 1,800 students at its two campus locations in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. ADU has recently completed the construction of its first phase of the new campus in Khalifa City in October 2006.  All programs are open to eligible students from all nationalities. The University uses the American model of higher education for its Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business Administration, Computer Science and Information Technology and English Language Institute.

About Al Maktoum Institute for Arabic & Islamic Studies:
The Institute was born after years of work undertaken by the Islamic Research Academy (ISRA). In 1999, a delegation from ISRA chaired by Lord Watson of Invergowrie (MSP) visited Dubai at the invitation of H.H. Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and the Minister of Finance and Industry of the United Arab Emirates. At the meeting, His Highness Shaikh Hamdan generously offered to fund several postgraduate scholarships in Islamic Jerusalem Studies each year, to be administered by ISRA.

In 1999, the Management Committee of ISRA began the process of establishing a Centre for Islamic Jerusalem Studies. On 27 August 2000, ISRA decided to widen the scope of the project and to establish an Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies. H.H. Shaikh Hamdan has once again demonstrated his extraordinary generosity in recognising the work and achievements of ISRA by offering to fully sponsor the establishment of the Institute in Scotland. This understanding was made official by the signing of a Joint Agreement between ISRA and Al-Maktoum Foundation of Dubai, with regard to the establishment of Al-Maktoum Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies during the Fourth ISRA's International Academic Conference on 24 October 2000 at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London.

In recognition of the support and generosity of His Highness Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum who has been, and still is, a strong and devoted champion of this new and exciting academic endeavour, it was decided to name the Institute "Al-Maktoum Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies."

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© Press Release 2006