Bulletin: Prize Honours Palestinian Researchers, Effat U. Offers a Ph.D. in Business Admin
Entrepreneurship in Arab Universities
In our new bulletin, Al-Fanar Media brings you a selection of the most prominent news of higher education in the Arab world, besides our recent stories from across the Arab world.
We focus this time on the growing interest in entrepreneurship in the Arab world, as countries look at programmes that support new businesses as an important part of their efforts to diversify their economies and create jobs.
Arab universities have also recognized the importance of entrepreneurship as a means of diversifying their own financial resources and linking their educational programmes with the labour market.
Several universities have established business incubators and created centres for entrepreneurial research and skills development. International institutions and organisations have adopted and supported entrepreneurship in partnership with universities in the Arab world.
The RIPPLE programme, which aims to establish and develop entrepreneurship centres in Egyptian universities, is one of such effort. It was launched by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in partnership with the Arab League, Al Ahly National Bank of Egypt, and the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport. You can read about the RIPPLE programme and other models in our bulletin.
Mohammad El-Hawary
Al-Fanar Media editor-in-chief
Our News:
Palestine Islamic Bank Announces Winners of Research Competition
On Sunday, the Palestinian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research announced the winners of the Palestine Islamic Bank Award for Scientific Research competition in its eighth edition.
Mahmoud Abu Mwais, Palestine’s minister of higher education, praised Palestinian researchers’ efforts in terms of output and quality, citing their publication of over 14,000 papers listed in Scopus, Elsevier’s database of peer-reviewed scientific literature.
The minister also praised the “research excellence of prisoners in the occupation prisons”, announcing that the ministry would make a number of postgraduate programs available to prisoners, which would contribute to increasing their research productions.
Abu Mwais called for supporting the ministry’s efforts through the Quality Development and Scientific Research Fund, as well as the Student Loan Fund, which promotes and supports scientific research, and access to education.
Effat University Launches a Ph.D. in Business Administration
Saudi Arabia’s Effat University has announced the launch of a Ph.D. course in business administration, which it says is the first such programme at a private Saudi university for male and female students. The programme aims to prepare a generation of business researchers and industry leaders armed with the knowledge and skills needed to anticipate future challenges and meet them with innovative solutions.
In a statement, the university announced the opening of registration in the new programme, along with scholarships to provide an opportunity for more students to develop their talents and leadership skills. Developed by the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, and reviewed by King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), the Ph.D. programme offers a four-year cutting-edge curriculum of the highest academic standards.
Anthology and Microsoft Collaborate to Employ AI in EdTech
Anthology, a leading provider of education solutions, is collaborating with Microsoft to incorporate generative AI capabilities into its EdTech solutions products.
In a statement, Anthology said that by incorporating Microsoft’s advanced AI technologies into its purpose-built higher education solutions, the company was bringing forth new capabilities to help institutions personalise learning journeys, improve efficiencies, and bolster recruitment and enrolment programs.
J.D. White, chief product officer at Anthology, said: “The collaboration with Microsoft ensures these solutions are scalable, secure, and seamlessly integrated into existing educational ecosystems, making them easily accessible to institutions worldwide.”
Scholarships for Iraqi Students in Egypt
Iraq’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research has announced that Egypt is offering 12 scholarships for undergraduate and postgraduate Iraqi students. The scholarships are for the 2023–2024 academic year. The deadline for applying is Sunday, August 15. For more details, click here.
Steps to Follow Before Travelling to Study Abroad
The School of Medicine at St. George’s University, in Grenada, has prepared a list of steps that students planning to study abroad should take before travelling.
These steps cover things like booking travel arrangements, understanding the visa requirements of their destination country, taking into account the dates set for this purpose, and applying for university housing.
It advises students to take advantage of webinars and events on social media groups designed to help prepare them before they travel. And after reaching their destination countries, it recommends registering for tours and familiarising themselves with the university’s facilities.
Our Suggestions:
Swiss-Palestinian ‘Digital Labs’ Project Supports Entrepreneurship at Birzeit University
In partnership with two other universities, Palestine’s Birzeit University is seeking to develop graduates’ entrepreneurial skills, to enhance their capabilities and support their emerging startups as they struggle to become profitable. A project called “Digital Labs” is one of the latest such efforts. Digital Labs is a joint project with Palestine’s An-Najah National University and EPFL, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. Read more in this article.
Entrepreneurship Programmes at Egyptian Universities Get a Boost
The success of some university-supported startups is prompting calls for expanding entrepreneurship programmes at Egyptian universities to develop students’ entrepreneurial skills and enable them to launch similar companies. Read more in this article.
RIPPLE Programme Supports Entrepreneurship Development at Egyptian Universities
With the aim of establishing and upgrading entrepreneurship centres at Egyptian universities, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has launched the RIPPLE programme, in partnership with the League of Arab States, Al Ahly National Bank of Egypt, and the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport.
The programme will work with universities to build the efficiency of entrepreneurship centres in sponsoring and encouraging innovative business ideas. “This will create more job opportunities, with more leading companies established in the Egyptian market,” said Nashwa Ali, head of business development team at USAID’s Business Egypt programme. Read more in this report.
Opinion:
The United Arab Emirates: An Emerging Hub for Higher Education
The United Arab Emirates has emerged as a major higher-education destination in recent years. Claire Roper-Browning, regional director of marketing, recruitment, admissions and communications at Heriot-Watt University Dubai, shares some insights on what makes the U.A.E. so attractive to international students. Explore more in this article.
Scholarships:
Al-Fanar Media maintains a database of quality scholarships for Arab students, which we continuously update. You can follow our website to stay up to date on the latest scholarships available in international universities. Check the Scholarships section here, and do not miss our constantly updated feedback on free learning opportunities in the News and Reports section, here.
Recent postings to our scholarship database include:
- Knight-Hennessy Scholars at Stanford University
- Danish Government Scholarships for Graduate Study at the University of Copenhagen
- University of Sydney International Scholarship for Master’s or Ph.D. Study
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