HBMSU hosts a roundtable to discuss entrepreneurship education with Stanford University professor

[UAE, September 23, 2014] - Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU) has hosted Prof. Robert Sutton, Professor of Management Science and Engineering and Professor of Organizational Behavior, Stanford University, who held a roundtable to discuss a series of issues, including the requirements of the partnership with the private sector, universities involvement in venture capital and how to promote entrepreneurship education at Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University. The roundtable was held in the presence of HBMSU’s Faculty, deans and administrative staff. The event comes as part of Prof. Sutton’s visit to the UAE to participate in the ‘Smart Living City- Dubai 2014’.

Prof. Robert Sutton met Dr. Mansoor Al Awar, Chancellor of HBMSU, who gave a detailed presentation about HBMSU and Cloud Campus, the social online learning initiative which is the first-of-its-kind in the Middle East based on an innovative concept of providing high quality, cost-efficient e-Learning services via social media, in order to support the efforts to transform Dubai into a smart and sustainable city, in line with the directives of H.H Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Prof. Sutton praised HBMSU for its leading position and high-quality programmes that meet the requirements of the job market. He pointed out that HBMSU has a proven track record of success in enabling its graduate learners, holding the Master of Management in Entrepreneurial Leadership and the Master of Science in Innovation & Change Management, to excel in business sector through launching added-value projects in various sectors.

The roundtable witnessed in-depth discussions to exchange visions and ideas about entrepreneurship education, with a focus on LaunchPad, a program adopted by Stanford University to promote entrepreneurship. The roundtable also discussed how to encourage and promote creativity in entrepreneurship and the main challenges that hinder the implementation of entrepreneurship programs.

Dr. Mansoor Al Awar said that the roundtable was of a great importance as it offers an interactive platform to take advantage of Stanford University’s expertise in implementing entrepreneurship programs and projects. He stressed that HBMSU is keen to exchange the best international practices with leading universities and academic institutions from around the world, including Stanford University, in order to establish itself as a main contributor to the development of entrepreneurship education in the Arab World and to the UAE’s leading status in encouraging entrepreneurship and economic creativity on regional and global levels.

Al Awar thanked Prof. Robert Sutton for sharing his high-level experiences and expertise in the field of entrepreneurship with the faculty and administrative staff of HBMSU which is looking forward to encouraging entrepreneurship and promoting economic creativity through offering high-quality programmes that focus on developing young generation who is able to excel in entrepreneurship and contribute to the sustainable development in line with UAE Vision 2021.

HBMSU had participated in the Smart Living City- Dubai 2014 as the official academic partner. Dr. Mansoor Al Awar was one of the keynote speakers and also headed a panel discussion on ‘Future of Education’ and participated in a discussion on ‘Creating a Smart Ecosystem’. Prof. Nabil Baydoun, Assistant Chancellor of Institutional Projects, HBMSU, also participated as a keynote speaker in the ‘Future of Education’ session, whereas Prof. Alain Sentini, Dean, School of e-Education, HBMSU, was a keynote speaker in a session entitled with "Creating Innovation hub’.