Amity University today broke ground for its new Dh300 million ($81.65 million) state-of-the-art campus at Dubai International Academic City (DIAC).

The new campus is set to become a centre of excellence for the research community and a hub for leading academics in the region, said a statement.

The ceremony was attended by Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and chairman of Emirates Group; Dr Abdullah Al Karam, director general of Knowledge and Human Development Authority; Dr Ayoub Kazim, managing director of Tecom Investments’ Education Cluster and Atul Chauhan, chancellor of Amity University.

The university will accommodate a total of 5,000 students at full capacity and will be the largest private university campus spanning 700,000 sq ft space in DIAC.  

The campus will incorporate hi-tech laboratories and the latest technology for the university’s departments of  Engineering, Management, Hospitality and Forensic Science, and will provide extensive sports facilities including soccer pitches, an athletics track, aquatics centre, indoor multipurpose courts, gyms, cricket lanes and tennis courts.

Dr Kazim said: “The development of a nation can be assessed by the amount of funds being poured into research and development. We are very pleased with Amity University for making such a significant commitment that helps DIAC achieve its goal of becoming the region’s leading education and research institution in line with the government mandates. Amity has committed Dh300 million towards setting up of this campus.”

Last year, in a strong show of commitment to Al Jalila Foundation, the university contributed Dh10 million to conduct medical research in the UAE.

Chauhan said: “We strongly believe in harnessing the UAE’s potential to become a research and innovation hub in the region.  Amity is committed to establishing a world-class research driven university in Dubai that will attract the best scientists and students from around the world.

“We are proud that within the last two years of our presence in Dubai we have made a positive impact in the higher education arena, been able to gift scholarships to 125 students every year, and contributed significantly to research and innovation, all with the encouragement and support of our regulators KHDA and the high quality of services and support provided by our host Dubai International Academic City,” Chauhan added.

Earlier this year, DIAC commissioned a Workforce Planning Study in conjunction with Deloitte that revealed that there are 64 skills in high demand across a range of sectors in the region, including the skills required for entry-level tourism and senior-level telecoms roles. Amity University is now working with DIAC to look at ways of addressing these skills gaps.

Amity University in Dubai is part of the non-profit Amity group of international institutions, with a combined student body of over 100,000 in India, the US, UK, Mauritius, Romania, China and Singapore, among others.  –TradeArabia News Service