Dubai Knowledge Village and creating a knowledge economy in the United Arab Emirates

Ali IbrahimUnited Arab Emirates

University

Development of Dubai

Hubs:Transportation Business Tourism ICT Finance

Strategies:Free ZonesClusters

Why the Knowledge Village?

UNDP 2003 report – knowledge society Education in the Arab worldBrain drain September 11 – study abroadTuitions & cost of living Culture (female students)

Dubai Knowledge Village (2003)

A meeting-point of three continentsIncentives: World class amenities and services, Complete foreign ownership, Total exemption from taxes, Full repatriation of capital and profits, and Smooth incorporation and visa issuance

proceduresInstitutions:

1. Training and development centers 2. HR management and consultancy services3. Education providers (universities and

institutes)

Dubai Knowledge Village (cont.)

15 international universities (within one year)

Programs: create a new culture of online learning and exploit new technologies to disseminate knowledge

Criteria: Highly ranked Branch campus (syllabi, teaching methods,

degrees, and accreditation must be identical to the parent campus)

Market-oriented fields: IT training, MBAs, Engineering, Media, Medicine, Accountancy

Dubai International Academic City (DIAC) (2007)

International higher education 30 campuses from 13 countries (2010) Students share housing and

recreational facilities MBA, MMC, CIT, Eng. Fashion, health, tourism, education,

and environmental studies 15,000 students (2010) 40,000

(2015) 40 institutions (2015)

Concluding remarks

First: Lack of rigorous research

Effectiveness Creators, users, and/or disseminators

Second: Market demands Science, Medicine, Research not emphasized, not likely to be Continue to rely on imported professionals

Third: Knowledge & Economy

Knowledge economy: Production of knowledge

Knowledge-based economy: Consumption of knowledge (tool for economic benefit)