Al Ain: The United Arab Emirates University has established many research partnerships with various international educational institutions to boost its research productivity and quality. This is in line with the university’s vision of becoming a research-intensive university that contributes to achieving sustainability in all fields and provides creative and innovative solutions that would be reflected positively on the UAE development and prosperity.
Dr. Ahmed Ali Murad, Associate Provost for Research at UAE University, said that the university is working to strengthen its international partnership with the Republic of Singapore. It gives priority to establishing a strategic partnership with the National University of Singapore in a number of key vital sectors, in order to support the university’s research strategy and enhance its research reputation.
Dr. Ahmed Murad said that the UAE University is adopting many initiatives aiming at consolidating strategic cooperation frameworks and supporting research projects between the two countries. He pointed out that the number of research projects funded by the UAE University and in cooperation with the National University of Singapore during the period between 2018 and 2022 is seventeen research projects in different fields related to medicine, health sciences, science, agriculture, veterinary medicine, information technology, engineering, business and economics.
Agriculture and veterinary medicine research projects included “Toward health risk assessment of Campylobacter in chicken meat at retail in the United Arab Emirates: Baseline surveillance and genomic insight into resistance to critically important antimicrobials” and “Gluten free plant-based meat analogues formulated using anisotropic hydrogelation and extrusion.”
In the area of medicine and health sciences, nine research projects were supported including ” Elucidating the Molecular and Cellular Basis of Mendelian and Cardiovascular Disease in UAE “, and ” Deciphering the Genetic Causes of Familial Cardiovascular Diseases “. Under Engineering, research entitled ” Development of Renewable Thermal Insulation Material Based on Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) and Date Palm Wood ” was funded. Also, in science, a research project titled ” Unveiling hidden potential of hypersaline soil (sabkha): halophilic microbiome, their functionality and extremozyme potential (SalMicro)” and another project titled ” Detection and determination of Endocrine disruptors, Mycotoxins and related metabolites in camel milk products of UAE” were funded.
Dr. Ahmed Murad also added that during the period between 2017 and 2022, faculty members and researchers at the UAE University published 154 research papers in collaboration with researchers from various universities and institutions in the Republic of Singapore.