UAE Business Awards 2021

MEAMARKETS / UAE Business Awards 2021 45 , Feb21558 Zayed University’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre is one of the latest additions to this educational institution, reflecting the needs of its students, and the region, when it comes to creating new opportunities for business and enterprise. We take a look at this cornerstone of education to see exactly how it has been such a boon to the UAE, achieving success in the UAE Business Awards. Most Innovative Middle East Entrepreneurship Development Center 2021 The UAE is a region that is built on the idea of growth and development, and the team behind Zayed University are charged with ensuring that the brightest and best have the best possible opportunity to flourish. While academic pursuits are of enormous value, there is also a clear need to ensure that there is a space for the more entrepreneurial to thrive too. The development of Zayed University’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre was a part of this effort, designed to create a hub on campus, where people could engage with the possibilities of growing the economy of the UAE. The space was designed as a place where student entrepreneurs could promote an impressive culture of innovation and entrepreneurship. The focus on students and recognising opportunities for development are key to the continued success of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre. The team are able to assist in projects across the university, integrating the essential values of innovation and entrepreneurship into various activities, initiatives, curriculum and extra-curricular programs. This collaborative approach is the sort that can be only be found on a university campus but ensures that those who are in higher education always have a path forward that will benefit them in the post- academic world. The team run a range of exciting programs, with the flagship being the “Founders” Entrepreneurship Development program. This step- by-step guide to development has been key to many students finding the heart of their ideas and then being able to put them into action easily. They have the much-needed support they need at every stage, including the final step where a project advances into the on-campus incubator for operation and growth. The physical space has become a centrepiece of design for the university that reflects the ambition with which the student who walk through its doors should show in their own projects. Spread over two floors, the gleaming glass and high walls give a sense of space where there are no limits to what might be achieved while the greenery and wooden façade provide a sense of the outdoors representing the vast opportunities and open thought entrepreneurs display when starting innovative ventures. Few who have entered this astonishing space have left it feeling anything less than utterly inspired to try totally new ideas that could revolutionise the economy at large. Open to students and alumni from across both campuses at Zayed University, it’s little wonder that the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre is a hub of activity for this thriving space. At the heart of this amazing centre is a desire to see students transformed in a practical way. Many have the right ideas, but this is a place where young people can take action that will transform the way they live their lives. No matter what the concept, if it’s fully formed or just a vision in the mind’s eye, this is where the future of the UAE is created. Company: Zayed University Name: Dr Wasseem Abaza Email: [email protected]