Amity University celebrates 10th anniversary at DIAC

This week marks the tenth anniversary of Amity University Dubai’s operation at Dubai International Academic City (DIAC). Since its commencement in 2011, the university has graduated 6,100 students from the institution, which has undergone considerable changes since its inception. In 2016, Amity University Dubai inaugurated a 700,000-sq-ft campus including state-of-the-art sports facilities, free-flowing collaborative spaces, and world-class laboratories for hands-on experience, which originally opened on three floors in DIAC’s Block 10.

Mohammad Abdullah, Managing Director of DIAC, said, “We’re proud to see how Amity University Dubai has grown over the decade it has been operating out of DIAC. Amity University Dubai offers a number of unique programs, including Forensic Sciences, Mechatronics, Nanotechnology, Solar and Alternate Energy. These degrees are reflective of the continuing development of the UAE economy, which will require graduates with an increasingly diverse set of skills.”

He noted that he was not surprised to see Amity University Dubai graduates become change-makers in their respective industries, given the university’s highly skilled faculty, state-of-the-art facility, and location in the region’s premier educational ecosystem.

“DIAC’s growth is directly related to Dubai’s overall growth as an international education destination. We have spent many years actively engaged in the creation of a lively and unique community alongside our globally acclaimed academic partners. The emirate has redoubled its efforts to attract the best talent from around the world by granting new 10-year Golden Visas to PhD holders, doctors, engineers, and students pursuing degrees in artificial intelligence, big data, or epidemiology; graduates from accredited universities with a grade point average of 3.8 or higher; and top high school graduates.”

Dr Vajahat Hussain, CEO of Amity Education ME, said, “We have grown from an enrollment of 100 students in 2011 to over 2,000 today.”

Amity’s staff has grown at a comparable rate, from eight administrative staff and little over 20 faculty members when it first opened to over 200 part-time and full-time teaching and non-teaching staff in 2021.

“Our location within Dubai International Academic City, a vibrant educational hub strategically located close to the airport, Downtown Dubai, the Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall, has certainly played a role in our growth story. We’re grateful to DIAC for developing an ecosystem in which our students, faculty and campus have thrived over the years.”

Amity University Dubai has produced a number of prominent alumni in recent years. Sahith Reddy Madara, the UAE’s National Point of Contact for the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC); AshayBhave, the founder of ethically produced sustainable sneaker brand Thaely; Bilal Shabandri, a Forbes 30 Under 30 nominee and Co-founder of bus aggregator mobility service Arcab; and Stacey Pinto, Director of Brand and Reputation at Kitopi, the world’s leading managed cloud kitchen platform At Amity University Dubai’s 2021 convocation ceremony, DIAC’s Mohammad Abdullah was awarded an Honorary Doctorate for setting new norms in design and innovation in the region.

One of Amity University Dubai’s key features is its business incubation center, which is the first free zone facility of its kind to be accredited by Dubai SME. “We have had a number of success stories already – one of our start-ups, Thaely, was named Best University Start-Up, from a pool of more than 500 start-ups, at GITEX Future Stars in October,” said Hussain.

He added, “The founders of Arcab made it to the cover of Forbes Middle East’s 30 under 30 issue in September.

Hussain said, “Two of our other Incubation Center start-ups, Pupilar and Le Solarium, were both winners of the Four-Month Accelerator Programme initiated by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Innovation Fund.Le Solarium, a water purification and conservation start-up, will be showcasing at the Good Place pavilion at Expo 2020 this month.”

Across 37 international branch campuses (IBCs) of institutions from around the world are registered in Dubai International Academic City, which has the greatest concentration of IBCs in the world.