Dubai International Academic City (DIAC) and Dubai Knowledge Village (DKV), members of Tecom Investments’ Education Cluster, brought together professionals from universities, industry, government departments and education consultants to discuss potential collaborations, partnerships, research and business development at a forum in Dubai, UAE.

The inaugural Industry and University Partnerships Forum (I-UP) took place at the Dubai Knowledge Village.

The forum featured a series of panel discussions that included representatives from academic institutions in Dubai as well as leaders from industry sectors, including: hospitality and tourism, islamic finance, education, transport and logistics, ICT, healthcare, energy and construction, and real estate.

DIAC and DKV developed I-UP to provide a platform for discussions that allow universities to interact with industry professionals, introduce new educational programmes that fill the skill gaps identified in a number of key industries.

Instigating these conversations will ensure the education sector advances in line with driving the vision of Dubai becoming a leading world-class education destination, said a statement.

The first I-UP forum will be developed into an annual event series designed to continue collaboration in order to drive innovation and maintain sustainable economic growth, enable dialogue and drive research looking into the link between academia and contribution to GDP.

It will also help to facilitate a greater number of internships through inspiring more career fairs and related employment events that connect students to future employers.

The overall outcome of the event was unanimous agreement that more needs to be done to bridge the gap between academia and industry in order for the UAE to achieve its economic potential.

While the country is home to a wide range of skilled individuals, the key to unlocking further and sustainable growth is the development and retention of talent.

All of the panelists agreed that in today’s increasingly global economy, nurturing a pool of well-educated workers able to perform complex tasks and adapt rapidly to their changing environment is vital for overall country-level competitiveness.

Fatma Al Marri, Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), said: “The Industry and University Partnership Forum provides an excellent opportunity for educators