University of Birmingham Dubai officially opens new campus
The University of Birmingham Dubai officially opened its new campus in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
From left, Professor David Sadler Provost, University of Birmingham Dubai, Lord Karan Bilimoria, Chancellor of the University of Birmingham, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, Professor Adam Tickell, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Birmingham and Cathy Gilbert, Director of External Relations at the University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham officially opened its iconic new Dubai campus in Dubai International Academic City (DIAC), in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai.
The ceremony marked the next stage in the University’s long-term commitment to positioning Dubai as a regional hub for world-class higher education and talent development.
In addition to high-ranking officials from the UAE, the University of Birmingham’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Adam Tickell and Chancellor Lord Karan Bilimoria, travelled to Dubai to attend the landmark ceremony.
Located opposite Dubai’s first purpose-built student housing community, the campus has been home to students since January. It encourages collaboration across academic disciplines, offering flexible learning spaces and formal teaching spaces to ensure that teaching and research work in tandem to benefit students.
Officially opening our iconic new campus is another exciting milestone which demonstrates the University of Birmingham’s long-term commitment to contributing to UAE society – through in-country partnership in education and areas of research strength that support the National Agenda. “I would like to thank the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), TECOM Group, DIAC and all our partners in the region for their generous support in helping us reach this point. “Our new campus will provide students from the UAE and beyond with excellent, innovative facilities and a first-class education from an elite British university, that sees them graduate as high-achieving and employable problem solvers.”
Campus officially opened in Dubai
- Landmark occasion marks University of Birmingham Dubai’s long-term commitment to nurturing talent and enhancing academic excellence in the UAE
- Innovative facilities provide students from the region and beyond with first-class education from the first global top 100 and UK Russell Group university in Dubai
- Partnership with Siemens enables the University’s campuses in Dubai and Birmingham to embrace sustainable practices in line with net-zero carbon emission initiatives
The campus can currently support up to 2,900 students and will eventually be able to support up to 4500 students and feature innovative teaching and research space to encourage cross disciplinary working. Learning spaces incorporate digital technology and a student hub supports student needs across teaching and wellbeing.
Designed by Hopkins Architects and built by Khansaheb, the buildings overlook parkland and natural spaces. They reflect the ‘green heart’ of the University’s campus in Birmingham, giving the student community a complete campus university experience. Sheltered courtyards and social spaces aim to enhance the campus’ sustainability while providing students and staff with a relaxing environment in keeping with Dubai’s unique climate.
Our leadership has always underscored education as the backbone of sustainable economic development, ensuring the availability of skilled and innovation-minded talent across key sectors. For the past 20 years, Dubai has succeeded in attracting global companies and academic institutions to consolidate our knowledge-based economy and boost our competitiveness on a global scale. Leading institutes like the University of Birmingham Dubai have been integral to setting and maintaining high standards of academic excellence, reinforcing our attractiveness to ambitious students who will fuel the success and advancement of our industries, and that of the wider region.”
The University was the first global top 100 and UK Russell Group university to establish a campus in Dubai in September 2018, and now adds to the leading education hub’s roster of global and local internationally accredited academic institutions. DIAC has played a key role in enabling, advancing and promoting Dubai’s position on the regional and global education scale, and in recent years, the agility and resilience of the Emirate has further boosted its attractiveness to universities and students alike.
The University of Birmingham Dubai is accredited by the UAE Ministry of Education - recognising the quality of its educational experience. The University offers degrees taught, examined and accredited to the same high standards as those delivered on its UK campus with students receiving a University of Birmingham degree.
Study programmes include Biomedical Science, Accounting, Financial Management, International Commercial Law, Business, Economics, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Public Health, Psychology, Sport Coaching, Urban Planning, Water Resources Management and Education degrees, including teacher training in Special Educational Needs. The range of degree programmes will continue to grow in the new campus.
From the left, Professor David Sadler Provost, University of Birmingham Dubai and Lord Karan Bilimoria, Chancellor of the University of Birmingham meet His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai
Our range of programmes in Dubai is already very broad and that is because we believe students benefit from an actively inter-disciplinary environment, where they can learn from different perspectives. “We are crafting our academic offer in Dubai to deliver the experience that every student needs to develop and grow - a ‘digital first’ approach to teaching, learning and assessment. “Sustainability is important to us and partnering with Siemens will make our campuses in Dubai and Birmingham as sustainable as possible. Our beautiful new building is accessible to everyone - as in Birmingham, it is open to the local community for events and opportunities that will enrich the lives of Dubai residents.”
The University’s partnership with Siemens combines digital sensor and analytics technologies, artificial intelligence, decentralised energy generation and storage, renewable energy and concepts that help change users’ behaviour to transform the Edgbaston and Dubai campuses into the world’s smartest global campus, creating a ‘Living Lab’ where research, teaching and learning all benefit from access to new data and connectivity.
The ‘Living Lab’ will capture data from the University’s building technologies, estates infrastructure and energy plants and use it for innovation, R&D activities and teaching. Live data from across the sites provides a unique opportunity for applied learning for students and creates a platform for cutting-edge research. Discover more about the University of Birmingham Dubai.
Notes for editors
Notes for editors
- The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions, its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers and teachers and more than 8,000 international students from over 150 countries.
- The University of Birmingham was established by Queen Victoria in 1900 as Great Britain’s first civic university, where students from all religions and backgrounds were accepted on an equal basis.
- The University is renowned for its research excellence and its researchers have received 10 Nobel Prizes. From pioneering organ transplants, discovering gravitational waves and furthering understanding of Shakespeare, to developing cures for cancer, advances in robotics and revealing the structure of DNA, the University has been at the forefront of some of the most ground-breaking discoveries of the last 100 years.
- The new campus will provide 50,000m2 of teaching and research space, accommodating up to 2,900 students from across the UAE and beyond.
- TECOM Group is a crucial driver of the rapid growth of Dubai’s knowledge-and innovation-based economy and has significantly contributed to enhancing the emirate’s attractiveness for some of the world’s top companies and talent. The Group has 10 thriving sector-focused communities, including DIAC.
- The Dubai Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) is responsible for the growth and quality of private education in Dubai. It supports schools, universities, parents, students, educators, investors and government partners to create a high-quality education sector focused on happiness and wellbeing.
- Dubai International Academic City (DIAC), a member of TECOM Group, is the world’s largest free zone dedicated to Higher Education. Established in 2007, DIAC hosts 26 universities from nine countries offering more than 500 undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD programmes to over 25,000 students representing 149 nationalities. Located on a modern campus with state-of-the-art facilities spread across 18 million square feet, DIAC acts as a catalyst for academia in the region and supports the fulfilment of Dubai’s ambition of building a knowledge-based economy through the provision of a wide range of internationally accredited study programmes.