The University of Haifa and Zayed University of the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday signed an agreement for academic cooperation focusing on joint research and the exchange of faculty and students.
The agreement was signed by the Minister of Culture and Youth of the UAE, the President of Zayed Nura University Mohammed Al Kaabi, and the President of the University of Haifa, Prof. Ron Rubin. The signing ceremony took place virtually in the presence of the Israeli Ambassador the UAE Amir Haik, and the Ambassador of the UAE to Israel Mohamed Mahmoud Al Khaja.
“In the face of the common challenges of all of humanity regarding climate change, this kind of academic cooperation is our way of preserving our common home – planet Earth,” said Prof. Robin.
Minister Al Qabi said: “This partnership will create cross-border opportunities for students, faculty, and the community as a whole. I believe that together we can lead innovations in the areas of food and water security, marine sciences, and natural resource management.”
Named after the UAE’s first president, Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Zayed University was established in 1998 as a public academic institution. It is one of the three government-sponsored higher education institutions in the UAE. After getting its accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education in the US, Zayed became the first university in the UAE to be internationally accredited
Prof Rubin, who served for about a decade as a representative of NYU in its Abu Dhabi branch, opened his remarks with greetings in Arabic and said the signing of the agreement is a kind of closure of a cycle for him. He also concluded his remarks in Arabic, congratulating the United Arab Emirates on its jubilee celebrations next month.
“Next year, we too celebrate the 50th year of our university and I hope that by then we can all meet here on our campus on Mount Carmel,” said Prof. Rubin.
According to the cooperation agreement, the University of Haifa and Zayed University will share academic knowledge in a variety of fields, including marine sciences, education, and natural resource management, and will conduct joint research projects in these fields. In addition, the two institutions will offer student and faculty exchanges and work to hold joint seminars and conferences.
The signing ceremony was attended by the Vice President of International Affairs and Sustainability on behalf of the University of Haifa, and Baruch Marzen, Director of Government, Community and External Relations, Hila Alrai. From the Emirate side, the Rector Prof. Clayton Mackenzie and the Vice-Rector for Research Topics, Prof. Michael Allen participated.