SDG 17.2.4
Collaboration for SDG Best Practice
International Students’ Scientific Research Conference in Collaboration with Ajman University
Under the slogan “Empowering Youth in the Digital Era”, the University organized the International Student Conference (ISCAS 24) in cooperation with Ajman University in the United Arab Emirates. The conference witnessed the participation and cooperation of 94 students who presented 41 research papers in the fields of administrative sciences, law, engineering, and information technology.
This conference is part of the efforts made by the University and Ajman University to enhance cooperation and exchange academic, administrative, and research expertise, especially since the two Universities are bound by a memorandum of understanding aimed at utilizing human and material capabilities in a way that positively reflects on educational outcomes and contributes to graduating distinguished students capable of competing in the labour market and meeting its needs.
The conference aims to promote a culture of peer-reviewed scientific research, develop research skills among students of both Universities, support cooperation and exchange research experiences across various disciplines in the field of scientific research. Additionally, it seeks to enhance the spirit of competition in preparing scientific research, innovations, and research ideas, and encourage students to present their research to judging committees and showcase their research capabilities and potential in diverse specializations.
The conference organizers aspire to promote and develop a culture of scientific research, creativity, and innovation among the students of both Universities, producing prominent research leaders by highlighting and honing their talents, building bridges of scientific communication between them, contributing to serving their communities, and equipping them with a set of academic and personal skills. The conference includes research, innovations, and graduation projects in scientific fields for the University’s students across various disciplines.
Dr Marwan Abdel Dayem honoured with the first prize for his exceptional research in the field of economics, in annual Yusuf bin Ahmed (YBA) Kanoo Award
Dr Marwan Abdel Dayem, an Associate Professor in the Department of Business Administration at the college of Administrative Sciences has been honoured with the first prize for his exceptional research in the field of economics, earning him one of the Kingdom of Bahrain’s most prestigious annual Yusuf bin Ahmed (YBA) Kanoo Award for the best science, art, and economic research.
During the honouring ceremony at the Gulf Hotel Gulf Convention Centre, Mr Mohammed Abdulrahman Darwish, the Secretary-General of the Yusuf Bin Ahmed Kanoo Award, unveiled the winners of the eleventh edition of the prize. Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, the Deputy Prime Minister; Ali bin Saleh Al Saleh, Shura Council Chairman; and Nabeel bin Yaqoub Al Hamer, Advisor to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa for Media Affairs, were among the notable figures of the ceremony, along with the various officials and invitees who had keen interests in the realms of science, art, and economics, adding to the vibrant atmosphere of the occasion.
Agreement with London south Bank University
https://twitter.com/ASU_BH/status/1688165010629902336
Visiting London South Bank University (UK)
https://www.asu.edu.bh/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/booklet-Final.pdf
A delegation from Applied Science University visited London South Bank University in September 2019 to discuss matters relating to the ongoing partnership between the two Universities. ASU’s delegation consisted of Professor Waheeb Al Khaja (the Chairman of ASU’s Board of Trustees), Professor Ghassan Aouad (ASU’s President), Mr Abdulla Al Khaja (Director of Administration and Finance) and Ms Catherine Hogan (Head of International Partnerships). The ASU delegation had fruitful meetings with the Vice-Chancellor of LSBU Professor David Phoenix, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Ivey and many other senior colleagues. The discussions spanned institutional and national updates, partnership management and collaboration on academic degrees, joint research and staff development activities. The ASU and LSBU partnership was established in 2014 and covered a range of activities. In September 2017, the first students were admitted to the LSBU degrees hosted at ASU (in Architectural Design Engineering and Civil and Construction Engineering). Several more degrees are planned to open in September 2020. On the research side, ASU faculty collaborate with LSBU faculty on joint research projects relevant to Bahrain’s national priority for renewal energy solutions (one on the relationship between roof shapes, energy consumption and thermal comfort and the other on integrating wind turbines in the built environment). Staff development activities include leadership development, teaching strategies in Higher Education and other topics designed to enhance the student experience. Future plans for the partnership include summer schools, study abroad schemes for students and staff exchange schemes. ASU and LSBU are also construction engineering their second international research conference – the International Conference on Innovation, Technology, Enterprise and Entrepreneurship will be held in Bahrain on November 24th and 25th, 2019. ASU has recently been awarded Accreditation by Bahrain’s Higher Education Council and its courses have achieved confidence status from Bahrain’s Quality Assurance Authority. In international rankings, ASU has reached #45 in the QS Arab Region University Rankings 2019; the 301+ category of the University Impact Rankings 2019; and the 601+ category (and #25 in Arab region) in the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking 2018 – all three are the highest placing among Bahrain’s private Universities in all the rankings. HEA Fellowships have now been awarded to 53 of our staff in recognition of professional standards in supporting student learning. In addition, ASU’s students won University Company of the Year in the Young Entrepreneurs Competition 2019, organised 69 by INJAZ Bahrain. Like ASU, LSBU is a student-centred University with a focus on entrepreneurship and employability. LSBU has a Silver rating in the UK Government’s Teaching Excellence Framework and was awarded University of the Year for Graduate Employment in 2018.
Affiliations and Partnerships
https://www.asu.edu.bh/about-asu/academic-partnership/
Research at ASU
https://www.asu.edu.bh/research/strategic-plan/
Deanship’s Vision and Guiding Principles
· Vision
Towards a Deanship that hosts distinguished research and innovated graduate programs that promote the university locally, regionally and globally.
· Mission
Creating of an academic environment that supports distinguished research and graduate programs that accomplish the goals of the university and community at large.
· Guiding Principles
To realize our vision and mission, ASU is committed to adopt guiding principles that leverage its classification among other universities locally and regionally.
These principles are:
- Multidisciplinary, collaborative research that transfers knowledge and graduate studies at the heart of our investments, while continuing to sustain support for niche_based research.
- Contributing to the achievement of national plans and priorities and comprehensive sustainable development of the Kingdom, and implementation of the national strategy for scientific research
- Enriching the quantitative and qualitative science and knowledge in various fields
- Continuing to encourage and emphasis the international dimensions of research and knowledge transfer.
- Considering ethical policies and procedures for obtaining all necessary approvals before proceeding and conducting any research.
- Promoting the partnership between teaching and research.
- Engage key stakeholders, community and end users in identifying university research priorities to maximize its impact.
- Providing a strong and effective strategic framework for research, transfer of knowledge and postgraduate studies.
· Deanship Tasks
The Deanship of Research and Graduate Studies is administratively linked to the President of the University and is responsible for the following tasks:
- To propose periodic scientific research plans, in line with the scientific research strategy of the institution, in coordination with the academic departments and to prepare the necessary budget for them, in preparation for submission to the Board of Trustees of the University for discussion and approval.
- Develop and implement the research funding mechanism in the institution.
- Issuing decisions and identifying the procedures governing the research activity in the institution.
- Approve research and studies projects, follow up their implementation, publish and spend on them.
- Cooperation with local, regional and international scientific research centers.
- Coordination, supervision and follow-up on research funded from other sectors outside the university.
- Follow up the establishment and updating of the scientific publication database and the research production of the university.
- Issuing the scientific journals of the university.
- Preparation of the annual report of the scientific research of the university, the mechanism and items of annual budget disbursement.
- Follow up any other matters related to scientific research.
ASU signs a Memorandum of Understanding with JAFCON Consultants for Productivity Improvement
The University, represented by Professor Ghassan Aouad, President of the University, signed a memorandum of understanding with “JAFCON Consultants for Productivity Improvement” represented by Dr. Akbar Jaffari, CEO, to provide a training program for the University students to enhance their practical skills and help them get suitable jobs in the labor market.
The agreement aims to enroll ASU students and graduates in the “Eqtidar (Ability) Program for productivity improvement”, supported by TAMKEEN, to raise their skills and practical abilities in their fields of study in a way that enhances their chances of getting suitable jobs through a series of training programs and workshops focused on enhancing the practical abilities of the participants. In addition, the program opens up the channels of communication between the University students and the reputable consultancy firm so that they can benefit from its long-standing expertise in productivity and performance enhancement to enable them to excel at their future work after graduation.
On this agreement, the President of the University, Professor Ghassan Aouad, stressed that the University is very keen to provide career opportunities for its students and graduates and facilitate their integration into the labor market by introducing training programs that keep up with the evolving requirements and latest trends of the job market, pointing out that the increasing competitiveness over the available jobs has prompted the University to work even harder on equipping its students with the skills that will make them stand out and match them with the right job opportunities.
Professor Ghassan also explained that, since its inception, the University has been keen to provide the Bahraini and Gulf labor market with distinguished graduates in various fields, by providing its students with suitable internships and practical training as part of the completion of their graduation requirements, which helps them to easily integrate the labor market and contributes to gaining sufficient experience to commence work successfully and confidently.
The President of the University pointed out that the goal of this agreement is to help students obtain a practical training during their academic studies as a key step towards obtaining the job that corresponds to their scientific qualifications after graduation, by giving them the opportunity to apply the theoretical knowledge they gained during their studies in a practical real-life setting, and to learn more about the nature of the labor market and its needs, in addition to giving the student a first impression of the field he/she will be working in and the people he/she will be interacting with after graduating from the University.
The President concluded by emphasizing that the University considers the internships that it offers to its students as one of the most important components of building the student’s personality and academic and practical experience. Thus, it strives to give its students the opportunity to apply what they have learned on the ground, learn more about the issues of their respective sectors, and benefit from the theoretical concepts they gained during their studies to find practical solutions to real-life problems.
ASU and Huawei
Applied Science University signed a memorandum of understanding with Huawei, the leading global company in the provision of information and communication technology infrastructure, with the aim of enhancing joint work between the University and the tech giant to provide training programs in the fields of information and communication technology, in addition to cooperation and partnership in various fields of research and training.
The memorandum was signed on the part of ASU by Professor Ghassan Aouad, President of the University, and on the part of Huawei by Mr. Jason Cao, CEO of Huawei, in the presence of Dr. Jassim Haji, President of the International Group of Artificial Intelligence (IGOAI), and Mr. Eric Hyun Lee, CEO of Huawei in the Kingdom of Bahrain, in addition to the Vice Presidents of the University and members of its senior management team.
Under the memorandum of understanding, ASU will provide classrooms and educational facilities to accommodate Huawei ICT equipment, as well as nominate professional trainers to become certified trainers for the Huawei Academy Certificate Programme, while Huawei will provide the training curricula and the accredited certificates via Huawei Authorized Information and Network Academy program (HAINA), along with the necessary equipment for the training programs that the University will deliver based on students’ training needs.
On this occasion, the President of the University, Professor Ghassan Aouad, expressed his happiness to cooperate with Huawei, which is one of the largest technology companies in the world, noting that this partnership supports the University’s plans and vision to keep pace with the latest technological developments that revolutionized the field of education and contributed significantly to the development of teaching and research and how students receive learning.
Professor Ghassan also explained that the University gives utmost importance to the STEM subjects promoting the use and mastery of technology. Indeed, the University offers Bachelor degrees in the disciplines of Computer Science and also in Management Information Systems which are highly valued in the job market due to their importance and uses in various fields of business. Professor Ghassan reiterated his pride in signing this memorandum with the global company Huawei, hoping that this cooperation will be effectively reflected in the services offered by the University to its students by promoting the use of technology in the various processes and activities held at the University, in order
to facilitate the educational delivery and the administrative support for the students.
Finally, Professor Ghassan Aouad noted that the University’s keenness to develop ICT capabilities by investing in the development of Bahraini talents is driven by its eagerness to contribute to the national development of the Kingdom of Bahrain by providing the job market with a new generation of graduates that are tech savvy. He concluded by saying that this is perfectly in line with the national strategies and the Bahrain 2030 Vision which aims at turning Bahrain into a digital, knowledge-based economy, capable of competing with the international markets at the highest levels.
Forth ASDU Forum of Online and Good Teaching Practices
https://www.asu.edu.bh/2020/07/fourth-asdu-forum-of-online-and-good-teaching-practices/
University President, Prof. Ghassan Aouad, stated that the university is keen on enhancing its educational standards, as part of the prominent need for developing the overall educational outcomes and graduating the competencies with distinct scientific qualities.
This initiative has been highlighted as part of its activities during the 4th (ASDU) forum of online teaching practice that was held virtually and organized by the Academic Staff Development Unit, with a participation of the University president, including other academic and administrative members, emphasizing on topics explicitly related to distance learning and innovative teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the forum, Prof. Awad delivered a presentation titled “Distant learning,” demonstrating all expected challenges and opportunities, the university achievements, and the importance of encouraging a culture that is rich with innovation and educational excellence.
He also declared the primary aims of this forum by clarifying the concept of applying contemporary and advanced educational methods in the modern era. However, this will level-up the learning process by allowing broader access to information and widen their research boundaries in this exceptional global situation.
The Assistant VP for Academic Affairs and Development, Dr. Faiza Zitouni, explained the fundamental goals of this forum, identified by all the distinguished participants, and familiarized themselves with the prerequisite of academic developments. This will reflect positively on students and the entire educational outcome.
ASU Participation in UNIVER Fair
https://www.asu.edu.bh/2020/07/university-participation-in-univer-virtual-fair/
An international virtual fair being hosted by the “Univer,” which it had our University as a participant. During such difficult time, this global platform was designed to gather universities, schools and other educational institutions from MENA and all over the world, by allowing visitors from different professional and educational backgrounds to browse through these platforms, select each and every institution who are participating in this virtual fair, chat and ask related questions, where each University had its section, webinar, and soft booth.
Apart from the participation, our University had its own virtual dashboard that displayed our marketing materials, chat rooms and webinars, which was operated by Ms Ruqaya Mohsin, Mr Ali Mohamed, Mr Baha Karaimeh, Mr Yusuf Alghawi and Mr Abdulhameed Baqi from the Directorate of Marketing and Public Relations, Dr Islam from the college of Engineering and Mr Noel from the foundation department as representatives. As our University and programmes was listed in a virtual dashboard. The fair therefore, witnessed quite good numbers of visitors. They had the opportunity to ask many educational related questions openly with our team, including many important subjects during the Q&A that have been covered during the fair explaining the reasons for choosing our international degrees, exploring the college and life of Engineering students, career path, Student Support services, the enrolment procedures, specialization variety, scholarships and other relevant topics such as whether they should study in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
ASU promotes the concept of Sustainability through an Environment Friendly Campus
It achieved the first place at the level of local private universities and the 37th among Arab Universities.
The University has achieved an advanced ranking in the global Green Metric Rankings for Green Universities for the year 2020, (UI GreenMetric World University Rankings), by ranking first at the level of private universities locally for the third year in a row, and advancing it to the thirty-seventh place in the Arab world, and the 484th rank globally, after the report showed the University made huge progress and advanced it position among the 911 international universities included in the rankings.
Achieving this remarkable ranking demonstrates the University’s commitment to achieving sustainable development in all its economic, social and environmental aspects, and its interest in the standards related to green environment, as the University campus takes into account in its design a set of environment-friendly principles and considerations through the materials used in construction, promoting sustainability for the University.
Regarding this progress achieved by the university for the third year in a row, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Prof. Waheeb Alkhaja, noted that the honorable appearance of the University in various trusted and internationally recognized international rankings constitutes an important addition to the University’s bright record in many fields including global rankings, thus adding a bright spot to its scientific and academic journey, which is full of distinction and achievements.
The Chairman of the Board of Trustees also indicated that this achievement is the result of the hard work of the President of the University and the efforts of the academic and administrative staff members to achieve an important strategic objective of the University which internationalization.
For his part, the President of the University, Prof. Ghassan Aouad explained that the Green Metric Rankings for Green Universities aims to promote a culture of green and environment-friendly architecture to help combat global climate change, indicating that this achievement constitutes an impetus for the university to move forward towards more development and modernization in order to enhance its reputation and scientific progress in various fields, based on its role in spreading the culture of excellence and consolidating the concept of sustainability and green architecture.
The President also congratulated the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mr. Samir Nass, and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Prof. Waheeb Alkhaja, and all the members of the Boards of Directors and Trustees on this achievement, expressing his pride in the efforts made by the academic and administrative staff members to meet international standards and help the University shine on global rankings.
Prof. Ghassan Aouad explained that the University collected 5150 points within the ranking criteria which includes: location and infrastructure, energy and climate change, waste, water, transportation, and finally education and scientific research, noting the importance of the role of technology in bringing about sustainable economic, social and environmental development.
It is noteworthy that the Green Metric Rankings ranks universities in terms of the sustainability of their operations and the extent of their commitment to clean environment standards, and its report is issued based on several criteria related to the environment and sustainability on campus in terms of infrastructure, efficiency in energy use and reducing gas emissions, and the extent of application of the principles of integrated solid and liquid waste management, means of transportation and the level of educational and research operations.