BUiD expands strategy to attract international research forums

The inaugural Middle East meeting of the International Association for Management of Technology (IAMOT) drew over 250 participants from 52 countries, providing one of the most comprehensive overviews of technology management yet conducted in the Middle East.

Hundreds of papers were presented in the course of the event, on subjects as diverse as research and development, industrial operations and sustainability.

BUiD successfully competed to host the IAMOT event against an international range of educational institutions, and the material produced by the conference has made an important contribution to local companies, universities and research bodies.

"One of the areas which has historically held back social and economic development within the region has been a shortfall of original research in key intellectual and industrial areas," said Dr. Abdullah Alshamsi, University Vice-Chancellor, The British University in Dubai.

"Events like the IAMOT conference, which bring together experts from around the world as well as positioning local research at the forefront of the discussion, make a distinctive contribution to the knowledge economy, and BUiD will continue to play its role in attracting these to the UAE," he added.

The IAMOT conference brought together academic researchers and practitioners, strengthening the ties between industry sectors within the UAE and their international counterparts.

One of the highlights of the event was a presentation on a unique study of the technology requirements of the Palm Jebel Ali project, currently the world's largest man-made island.

Three BUiD students also presented new research to the international audience, reflecting the depth of research currently being conducted at the University.

Suha Al Alili presented an original paper on the challenges of nationalisation of human capital in the Middle East's private sector, Hind Al Youha discussed her work on Strategic Performance Management Systems in Government in the region, and Abdul Ghaffar Chaudhry presented new research into job satisfaction in the United Arab Emirates.

All three students worked with Dr Kasim Randeree, Lecturer at BUiD. Other research papers from Jordan, Brazil, Spain, Taiwan, Austria, Hong Kong, Sweden, Malaysia and Canada received awards following the conference.

As part of its expanded strategy, BUiD is currently looking at the major meetings of some of the world's largest academic and technical associations, and reviewing those which best complement BUiD's research programme.

"One of the important functions that an institution like BUiD can perform is providing an internationally-focused meeting point for academic and corporate research to come together, to further enhance our understanding and the application of technology management practices in the region," said Dr Bassam Abu-Hijleh, Atkins Senior Lecturer and Head of Sustainable Design of the Built Environment (SDBE).

As well as the IAMOT event, BUiD has also hosted a range of specialist technology workshops in recent months, including the

In addition other areas of the University - including the Faculties of Engineering, Business and Education - are actively engaged with a number of international bodies about the potential to bring a wider range of research conferences to the UAE.