Dubai: The Department of Economic Development (DED) in Dubai and the Abu Dhabi University Dubai Campus jointly hosted the first-ever ‘Smart City: Driving the Future’ forum to spot the light on DED’s Strategy that contributes in achieving Dubai Smart City Plans particularly its relevance on higher education, entrepreneurship and innovation. The forum, held under the Business Community Engagement (BCE) initiative of DED, sought to highlight the broad profile and attributes of developing and sustaining a smart city for future economic development.

Her Excellency Dr Aisha Bint Butti Bin Bishr, Director General, Smart Dubai Office, set the tone for the discussions at the forum by presenting the Dubai Smart City Happiness Vision and strategies to integrate innovations such as blockchain and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enable and enhance the smartness in government services, city living, leisure and working.

“Im pleased to be part of a smart city forum being co-led by an academic institute. As government bodies we are creating the framework and legislation that will help public and private sector entities embrace Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, however to ensure continuous growth in this field, schools and universities must begin to acknowledge the education requirements of today, that will fuel cities tomorrow. As part of Dubai’s 10X initiative, Smart Dubai we will soon be launching a Smart City University, training students from across the globe on smart city implementation” added Dr. Aisha Bin Bishr.

“We are very pleased to collaborate for the first time, with a renowned higher academic institution to organise a forum that is topical and close to our daily lives. The various themes explored in this forum as well as the gathering of expert speakers will no doubt enrich the conversations. I am sure that the business, academic and student community that attended the forum will greatly benefit from the knowledge and networking platform,” said Mohammed Shael Al Saadi, CEO, Corporate Strategic Affairs, DED.

“DED will continue to explore collaborative opportunities with other academic Institutions for various activities of mutual interests be they forums, joint – research, policy discussions and joint publications”, added Shael.

Dr Waqar Ahmad, Provost and Interim Chancellor of Abu Dhabi University (ADU), said: “We are delighted to partner with the Department of Economic Development, to bring together decision makers and academic professionals to discuss the actions and behaviours that will drive future smart development. After launching the Smart Dubai 2021, Dubai has become a global beacon for smart city transformation, and our wise government has opened the doors for decision makers from both sectors to invest into this nationwide initiative.”

Dr Ahmad added: “Our collaboration with DED is aligned with our leadership’s focus on making academia play a vital role in the nation-building process. Given the world’s rapid technological shift, today’s Smart Cities Forum is particularly relevant in accelerating Dubai’s transformation into a fully-integrated smart city.”

Dr Noah Raford, Futurist-in-Chief at the Dubai Future Foundation, shared views on making smart cities the test bed for pioneering technologies and emerging business models based on the participative nature of experiments with all stakeholders to roll out the testing to citizens and visitors; and adopt them where proven feasible. Citizens, visitors and employees will become the future customers of smart cities, he added.

Dr Abdulaziz Istaitieh, Senior Economic Advisor to the Executive Council of Dubai briefed the forum on the expected impact of the Dubai’s industrial focus on the emirate’s future over the next two decades.

The importance of smart learning and smart cities as hotbeds for higher education, entrepreneurship and innovation were explained by Dr Sangeeth Ibrahim, Vice President and Head of Learning & Development at Sharjah Islamic Bank; Dr Alessandro Lanteri, Associate Professor of Innovation & Entrepreneurship at the Abu Dhabi University; Alexander Williams, Director of Future Economy at the Department of Economic Development, Dubai, and Dr Sherine Farouk, Assistant Provost for Academic Projects at Abu Dhabi University.

The forum also discussed how government, industry and academia can collaborate to develop new breakthrough initiatives, including the commercialisation of research from universities to create new businesses.  

-Ends-

About the Department of Economic Development, Dubai

The Department of Economic Development (DED) is the government body entrusted to set and drive the economic agenda of the emirate of Dubai, UAE. DED supports the structural transformation of Dubai into a diversified, innovative service-based economy that aims to improve the business environment and accelerate productivity growth. DED and its agencies develop economic plans and policies, identify and support the growth of strategic sectors, and provide services to domestic and international investors and businesses.

For further information on DED, please contact:

Faisal Shamsudheen, Email: faisal.pathiasseri@dubaided.gov.ae

About Abu Dhabi University (ADU)

Abu Dhabi University (ADU), an internationally recognized university for quality education and applied research that fosters academic excellence and continued growth, was established in 2003, three years after a charter for the university as a key driver of socio-economic growth, was launched by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Ruler’s Representative in the Al Dhafra Region.

At its campuses in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, and Dubai, ADU’s mission is to go beyond educating students and to contribute in strengthening the UAE’s global position as a progressive and innovative nation through its internationally competitive programs, world-class faculty, and educational resources. The University aims to hone the creative talent, critical thinking and leadership skills of the nation’s youth and empower them to become global leaders and lifelong learners.

Striving towards educational excellence, ADU is the first university in the country to receive the Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award in 2010 and the first private higher education institution in the UAE and the GCC region to receive an international academic accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). ADU’s College of Business Administration holds international accreditations from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and the prestigious EFMD Quality Improvement System (EQUIS). In addition, its College of Engineering has earned the accreditation of the world renowned Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) and Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) of ABET.

Dedicated to achieving excellence on all international academic levels, ADU is ranked in the top 2.8% of universities worldwide in the prestigious Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World Universities Ranking, scoring third on the “International Faculty Index” for its faculty’s diverse cultural backgrounds, and ninth on the “International Student Index” for its international student body. Moreover, ADU also ranked in QS’s top 150 leading institutions under 50 years, and in the top 7 of all private young universities in the world, the top 3 of all private young universities in the Arab World, and the top 16 of all private universities around the world.

For media/press inquiries about Abu Dhabi University please contact:

Noor AlMasri, Senior Marketing Operations Manager, Email: noor.almasri@adu.ac.ae

Ali Yaseen, Consultant, Mobile: +971 (0)55 358 7422, Email: ayaseen@apcoworldwide.com

© Press Release 2018