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Institutional Research Priorities

Institutional Research Priorities

As part of the Al Ghurair University Strategic Plan, 2012-2022, our institutional strategy for research is directed toward building five priority areas of excellence, which will be supported in an interdisciplinary fashion across the institution. These priorities areas are strongly driven by the Dubai 2030 vision statement, and the economic and knowledge development goals of that plan. These five priorities, and some activities and highlights associated with each, are summarized below:

Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

  • The University has partnered with the Emirates Telecommunication Corporation (Etisalat) and British Telecom (BT) to establish the Etisalat-BT Innovation Centre (EBTIC) which is currently housed at the Dubai Campus of the University. Since its formation, EBTIC has filed over 20 patents.
  • The University has partnered with the Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC) to establish the ATIC-AGUSTAR Semiconductor Research & Development Centre.
  • The University signed a Research Agreement with the University of Bristol (UK) to establish a joint research center in Visual Signal Analysis and Processing (VSAP).
  • The University has established the ICT Research Center with the following research groups: Communication & Information Systems (CIS), Multimedia Communication and Signal Processing (MCSP), e-Services and Networks (eSNRG), and Embedded Mixed-Signal Systems (EMSS).
  • AGU has partnered with ATIC and Masdar Institute to create the ATIC-SRC Center of Excellence for Energy Efficient Electronics Systems, which will create a regional ecosystem in the areas of design and testing of integrated energy efficient micro systems.

Aerospace, Transport and Logistics

  • The University has established, along with the Aerospace Holding Company under Mubadala, the Aerospace Research and Innovation Centre (ARIC), which operates at Al Ghurair University's Dubai campus.
  • Aerospace Engineering research is focused around the following areas: materials and structures, dynamics and controls, and aerodynamics and propulsion.
  • The University recently launched the Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering. The department focuses on transport and logistics research. In the future, the University plans evolve the program into a College of Logistics and Management with a Logistics Research Institute.

Energy and the Environment

  • The University’s research in Nuclear Engineering clusters around the following broad areas: reactor physics, thermal hydraulics, dynamics, instrumentation and control, radiation metrology and radiological protection, materials and chemistry, and nuclear safety-security-safeguards
  • Mechanical Engineering will create a research focus in energy and sustainability. Specifically two thrust areas will be pursued: advanced materials, and thermal systems and design
  • The University has established the Department of Civil Infrastructure and Environmental Engineering

Security

  • The University has established an Information Security Research Group
  • The University partnered with Cassidian and Emiraj to establish the Cyber Operations Centre of Excellence
  • The University has established the Institute of International & Civil Security, which focuses on issues relating to national, regional and international human security concerns.

Healthcare

  • Biomedical Engineering research will encompass two strategic research areas: cardiometabolic disorders and human movement.
  • The University is preparing to establish a College of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Other Multidisciplinary Priorities

The University also has a number of multidisciplinary research initiatives spanning more than one of the strategic areas:

  • The University has established a Robotics Institute with applications in security and healthcare.
  • The University plans to introduce a Materials research activity with research clustered in advanced materials, nanomaterials and composite materials.
  • The University plans to capitalize on a nascent research activity in high performance computing by integrating advanced computational activities and needs across the campus into a “Big Data” - High Performance Computing initiative. This will include existing programs as well as those envisioned by the College of Medicine and Health Sciences.