Dubai International Academic City (DIAC) is one of the region’s leading education service providers hosting over 58 per cent of the foreign branch universities in the Arab world, said a Unesco report on universities in Arab countries.

The UAE hosts the maximum number of foreign universities. Of the 15.4 per cent of the universities based in the UAE, 6.4 per cent operate under Dubai International Academic City, the Unesco Regional Bureau for Education in the Arab States – Beirut, said in its ‘Guide to Universities in the Arab Countries.’

'Amongst the GCC countries, DIAC and Dubai Knowledge Village host 23 per cent of the total number of universities,' said the report, which covered 22 countries in the Arab world.

A dedicated higher education free zone and a member of Tecom Investments, DIAC is committed to developing the education sector and offering the region innovative academic choices, said a top official.

'By offering leading education infrastructure to our academic partners, we aim to contribute to the advancement of the human capital of the UAE and the region through the development of quality graduates,' noted Dr Ayoub Kazim, executive director of DIAC and Dubai Knowledge Village.

'We have experienced consistently high demand from overseas institutions for setting up their campuses in DIAC. However, we aim to create a proper balance of institutions based on their standing and the quality of programmes they offer. A stringent 34-point selection criteria and a discerning screening process ensure only quality institutions enter the cluster,' he pointed out.

'Even after an institution becomes part of our cluster, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) periodically reviews its progress to guarantee its operations remain aligned with the mother campus,” Dr Kazim added.

A regional base for premier international higher education institutions, DIAC is the world’s first dedicated tertiary education cluster development, he noted.

DIAC partners enjoy special privileges including 100 per cent foreign ownership, tax-free status, full repatriation of profits and seamless visa issuance procedures for students, faculty and the staff.

DIAC currently hosts 32 institutions from 13 different countries including the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, India, France, Singapore, Belgium, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Lebanon and the UAE.-TradeArabia News Service