Spotlight
Turning research into real-world results
Dr Ghassan Aouad, Chancellor of Abu Dhabi University, talks about evolving workforce skills and how Arab universities can translate research and education into economic and social value.
15 October 2026
Over the past year, how have your institution’s vision and mission adapted, and what have been the key priorities for you?
Our vision and mission remain grounded in a simple principle: education should create lasting value for students, society and the wider economy. What has evolved is how we respond to a rapidly changing world, particularly technological development, evolving labor-market needs and national priorities.
At Abu Dhabi University, our focus has therefore been on accelerating the areas that matter most: academic excellence, future-ready education, impactful research, stronger industry engagement and outstanding student experience. With more than 10,000 students representing 107 nationalities and 65+ accredited programs, we have both the scale and diversity to make a meaningful contribution.
We have also continued to strengthen our research and innovation ecosystem, with more than 5,000 Scopus-indexed scientific papers and 33 faculty patents, increasingly connecting academic expertise with areas of strategic importance to the UAE and the wider region.
As the UAE builds a knowledge- and innovation-driven economy, our role is to develop the talent and research capabilities needed to support that ambition, while giving students and faculty opportunities to contribute to the challenges shaping the future.
The skills agenda remains an important factor for universities and students. Where have those skills changed and how is your university leading the conversation?
The conversation around skills has shifted significantly. It is no longer enough to ask whether a graduate has the technical knowledge required for their first job. We have to ask whether they have the capacity to remain agile and relevant throughout a career that may change several times.
AI literacy, data capabilities and digital fluency are increasingly important across disciplines, but they must sit alongside distinctly human capabilities: critical thinking, creativity, communication, ethical judgement, adaptability and the ability to work across disciplines. As AI becomes more capable, I believe these human skills will become more important, not less.
Our response to these evolving needs has been to ensure that our academic portfolio evolves alongside the economy. ADU offers a variety of programs, with growing emphasis on areas including AI, cybersecurity, renewable and sustainable energy, fintech, genomics and precision medicine, and digital transformation.
We believe that universities should not only respond to changes in the skills market; they should help also shape the conversation about what tomorrow’s workforce will require. Through industry partnerships, internships, mentorship, applied projects and research collaboration, there is a need to strengthen the connection between curricula and the workplace. The objective is not simply to prepare students for today’s jobs, but to empower them to adapt to jobs and industries that may arise in the future.
What is a challenge in your region that universities alone cannot solve, and what are the key partnership areas that can?
The UAE’s leadership has fostered a culture of ambition, collaboration and execution, bringing government, education and industry together to build capabilities today while shaping the opportunities of tomorrow.
We believe that leveraging these opportunities by strengthening the connection between knowledge, skills and economic impact will drive region-wide impact. Universities can develop talented people and produce high-quality research, but realising the full potential of both requires collaboration beyond academia. By working more closely with government, industry and other partners, we can accelerate the translation of research into real-world applications, support the adoption of new technologies, and create stronger pathways for talent into emerging sectors.
We can already see what becomes possible when those relationships are built around shared objectives. Abu Dhabi University researchers have attracted significant external support for work spanning biomedical research, artificial intelligence in healthcare and 3D concrete printing. This includes AED 5 million in funding from Al Saqr for biomedical and AI research projects, AED 1.6 million from Mubadala to establish the Mubadala Cell Biology Laboratory, and AED 3.85 million secured by College of Engineering research teams through four ASPIRE Awards, to name a few.
The future model of higher education therefore has the potential to be more fluid and adaptable. The boundaries between universities, industries and society can become easier to cross, because many of the challenges we are trying to solve do not sit within one institution or one discipline.
Where are the greatest opportunities for Arab region universities and how can institutions take advantage of them?
The Arab region has an opportunity to build on its growing investment in education, research, technology and innovation and translate that momentum into globally relevant knowledge and solutions.
There is significant investment across the region in AI, advanced technology, healthcare, clean energy, infrastructure and economic diversification. Universities are uniquely positioned to connect those ambitions with talent development, research and innovation. To take full advantage of that opportunity, we need to think beyond institutional and national boundaries.
Greater collaboration between universities can strengthen research networks, share infrastructure and expertise, increase student and faculty mobility, and develop research around challenges that are particularly relevant to our region. At the same time, global partnerships can keep institutions internationally connected.
At Abu Dhabi University, internationalisation is already part of our identity. Our diverse community and our approach combine global academic standards with research and education that respond to the priorities of the UAE and the wider region.
The opportunity, ultimately, is for Arab universities to become globally recognised centers of knowledge creation in areas where our region has both an urgent need and the ambition to lead.
If you could set the direction for all of higher education, what is the one area you would direct the sector towards?
I would direct higher education towards impact.
For many years, universities have understandably measured success through inputs and outputs: enrolment, publications, citations, rankings and graduate numbers. These remain important measures of quality, but I believe the next question has to be: what real-world impact did the university create?
Did our research improve lives or contribute to economic development? Did our graduates apply what they learned to solve problems, drive innovation and contribute to the organizations and communities they serve? Did our research and expertise help address challenges facing industry, government or society? Did ideas developed through university research translate into new technologies, businesses or solutions? Did education equip graduates to keep developing their skills and adapt as their careers and industries evolve?
At Abu Dhabi University, this thinking is embedded in our mission: education, research and collaboration should contribute to societal development and economic growth.
If impact becomes the connecting point between teaching, research, innovation and partnership, higher education can do more than prepare people for the future. It can help shape the future.