AUS & Bee’ah To Form A Research Center – The First In The Middle East To Address Environmental Matters In The Region
Under the patronage of His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council member, Ruler of Sharjah and President of the American University of Sharjah (AUS) a Collaboration Agreement has been signed to establish the “Gulf Ecosystem Research Center”, which will bring to the region the very best environmental research, resources and faculty, to help position Sharjah as the center for environmental change, thought and leadership.
The agreement highlights the partnerships between AUS and Bee’ah to apply the frameworks and foundations for the Gulf Ecosystem Research Center; and serves as affirmation of the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan to support the education and culture of future leaders about the importance of a sustainable environment in the UAE and the Middle East.
Present at the signing ceremony was H.E. Salim Al Owais, Chairman of Bee’ah– the Middle East’s leading and award-winning integrated environmental and waste management company – H.E. Sultan Al Mualla, Director-General of Sharjah Municipality and Mr. Khaled al Huraimel, Chief Executive Officer of Bee’ah along with Dr. Peter Heath, Chancellor of AUS; Dr. Thomas J. Hochstettler, Provost of AUS;Dr. Nada Mourtada-Sabbah, Vice Chancellor of AUS; and Mr. Salem Al Qaseer, Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs.
“Through the guidance of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Sharjah has long been the center of educational and environmental innovations, and we are already at the forefront of this positive change,” commented H.E. Salim Al Owais, Chairman of Bee’ah. “The establishment of the Middle East’s first environmental research center will present yet another stepping stone in our partnership with AUS to bridge together professors, students as well as the best minds in the industry, to address the fundamental environmental issues in our region.”
Dr. Peter Heath, AUS Chancellor, stated “AUS is very excited about further solidifying our already on-going relationship with Bee’ah by establishing this research center. The center will become a focus for investigating ways to improve the environment in Sharjah and the UAE while at the same time it expands the research capacity of both AUS and Bee’ah. This is a very exciting project!”
“We, within the teaching and research faculty of AUS, are delighted at the prospect of a close partnership with Bee’ah” said Dr. Thomas Hochstettler, AUS Provost. “Only positive results can come of this innovative collaboration between Sharjah’s two most advanced organizations in the field of environmental affairs”.
“The Gulf Ecosystem Research Center” will allow the innovative advances in community-based environmental studies to be combined with in-depth training of students in approaches of environment based on a strong value foundation to provide diversified curriculum of AUS”, Dr Nada Mourtada-Sabbah, Vice Chancellor for Development and Alumni Affairs thanked Bee’ah for their generous contribution and their far-sightedness to partner with higher education to enrich our programs and benefit the community. “This will make available culturally appropriate solutions for Gulf society in the future”, she added.
According to the agreement, the research center aims to become a globally acknowledged multi-national research hub, enabling Sharjah to lead environmental change through knowledge-sharing and exchange of information, and to create a global network of environmental research institutions while assisting in best practices in environment related research.
The center’s main objective include strengthening regional environmental policy development through enhanced partnerships between various accredited institutions, creating a highly accessible source of information and knowledge on environmental topics and positioning the environmental research center as an accredited institution in the industry.
It will grant researchers in the Middle East and around the world the ability to propose new ideas for research topics, and will form a platform to enable them to work on data and information concerning the region and its climate, through a network of linkages with other research institutions and initiatives in order to empower knowledge sharing that could aid environmental sustainability.
his is not the first project established with the University. Bee’ah had already established links with the American University of Sharjah (AUS), creating a collaboration platform to introduce opportunities for research and development, recruitment and internships, sponsorship and lectures, recycling programmes as well as events and functions. In August last year Bee’ah and the AUS entered a partnership on the Bio-filter Development and Testing for Removal of Air Pollutants from Waste Treatment and Industrial Facilities project.
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