The document summarizes higher education and research strategies in the United Arab Emirates and Abu Dhabi. It outlines the UAE government's priorities of improving higher education quality and promoting innovation. It also discusses higher education institutions in Abu Dhabi, including NYU Abu Dhabi, Masdar Institute, and Khalifa University, and Abu Dhabi's goals of attracting top academics and building world-class research through investments in universities and facilities. The document concludes with recommendations such as aligning education, research, and industry and limiting subsidies to fill gaps rather than prestige.

1. Daniel Kratochvil
University of Wollongong in Dubai

2.  Highlights of the U.A.E. Government Strategy 2011-2013
contains 7 priorities including Education (“Improve the quality
of higher education and ensure accessibility”) and a
Competitive Knowledge Economy (“Promote and enhance
innovation, research and development”).
 Higher education provision by the UAE government through
UAE University, Zayed University and the 17 campus HCT
system.
 The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
overseas accreditation of private universities and the National
Research Foundation. Also, the Centre of Excellence for
Applied Research and Training (CERT) is a commercial arm of
HCT.

3.  The largest, most populated, and wealthiest of the emirates.
 Current plans are the Policy Agenda 2007-2008: The Emirate of
Abu Dhabi and the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030 (2009).
 “Abu Dhabi is seeking to attract some of the world’s best
academics and other educational specialists through the
development of an attractive living environment and world-
class research facilities and research endowments” (Abu Dhabi
Economic Vision 2030, p. 118).
 Strategy to create “an effective programme to stimulate
research and development, and local innovation, and to
facilitate the integration with global innovation centres.” (Abu
Dhabi Economic Vision 2030, p. 7).

4.  Mission: to lay the foundation for an Innovation-based,
knowledge producing society by:
§ Elevating the quality of Higher Education to international
standards through partnerships with world class universities, high
licensing and accreditation standards, requirements and
incentives for continuous improvement
§ Promoting and incentivizing innovation, scholarship and discovery
through major research funding in areas of strategic importance
to Abu Dhabi, thereby building a strong community of scientists
and scholars
§ Carefully aligning Higher Education with labor market and socio-
economic needs, guided by the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030
and Abu Dhabi’s Policy Agenda

5.  Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research
(KUSTAR)
 Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST)
 NYU- Abu Dhabi
 The Institut Européen d’Administration des Affaires
(INSEAD)
 Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi (PSUAD)
 Emirates College for Advanced Education (ECAE)

7.  Closed market for higher education providers – institutions
that predated creation of ADEC remain operating while new
institutions are limited to those invited by the government
 Planning analyses not followed – there is a disconnect
between the needs of the emirate and the strategies
pursued in terms of discipline
 Focus on attracting most prestigious international
universities is expensive and sets education level above the
current level of potential students
 Top-down R&D collaborations – industry-university
cooperation is limited to relations designed by government

8.  Direct and indirect development of higher education –
Khalifa University and partnerships with international
providers of private education
 Tying higher education market to strategic plan
 Granting research autonomy to international universities
NYU – Abu Dhabi is permitted to use their own expertise to
develop and deliver programs
 Modification of existing institutions – KUSTAR
 Embedding universities in a larger R & D infrastructure – the
Masdar Institute is only one of five components within the
larger Masdar project

9.  Guide research and development through strategic planning
while keeping in mind the overall economy and regional
relevance;
 Limit public investment to subsidize where it is needed to
ensure filling of gaps or to direct investment towards long-term
goals;
 Plan in anticipation of very long term pay-off but ensure careful
short term implementation;
 Be creative about public-private and industry-university
combinations;

10.  Use regulations in the higher education sector to pursue long-
term strategies including those related to research and
development;
 Carefully align development of the higher education sector
with the pace of development of the labor market;
 Ambitiously partner with institutions in other countries to
reduce isolation; and,
 Take full advantage of the benefits that a world class institution
can provide by granting it autonomy in its area of expertise.
Daniel Kratochvil UOW Dubai dk32@columbia.edu
First slide map: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:H1N1_UAE_map.svg#filelinks