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Emerging opportunities in the Middle East

5 March 2008

Dr Nizar Farjou, HRH Prince Hassan Bin Al Talal, Professor Stephanie Fahey, and the Australian Ambassador to Jordan, the Honourable Trevor Peacock.

The changing educational climate in the Middle East is providing exciting opportunities for Monash to significantly increase its engagement with the region.

The population is growing rapidly with a large number of youth: one in every three people is between the ages of ten and 24.

Governments in the region are investing heavily into reforming its higher education system and increasing the number of higher degree research scholarships.

In the United Arab Emirates, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has launched a US$10 billion endowment to provide for research programs and centres, PhD scholarships, and to develop leadership programs and fund research projects.

Monash, along with University of Melbourne and the University of Queensland, was recently nominated to participate in the Mohammed Bin Rashid Fellows Programme.

The elite program annually sends more than 1,000 young Arab leaders to leading international universities such as Harvard and the London School of Economics.

In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, initial funding for public universities of US$15 billion has tripled since 2004. The government has established the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) with a $10 billion endowment, making it the sixth richest university in the world.

According to Professor Stephanie Fahey, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International), "there is real advantage for Monash as the region's higher education institutions undergo a dramatic period of rapid transformation and expansion."

"There is interest in the Middle East in our nursing courses, and in our unique medical research in stem cells, blood disease, diabetes and obesity. Road trauma in the Middle East is far worse than in Australia, so there is considerable potential for collaboration for Monash in the region," said Professor Fahey.

The Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International) is actively pursuing opportunities to attract higher degree research scholars, encourage student exchange and promote other forms of education and research collaborations.

Professor Stephanie Fahey recently visited the Middle East to meet with universities and government officials in the region. Her visit included the Sultanate of Oman, United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.