SDG 17.2.3
International Collaboration Data Gathering for SDG
British Programmes Students Visit the United Kingdom as Part of the Summer School Programme in Collaboration with London South Bank University
A group of students from the British programmes participated in the Summer School activities at London South Bank University in the United Kingdom. They met with the university’s partners from London South Bank University, with whom the university offers 6 distinguished academic programmes including BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering, BEng (Hons) Electrical and Electronic Engineering, BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering, BEng (Hons) Architectural Engineering, BA (Hons) Business Management, and LLB (Hons) Law.
The Summer School programme, aims to provide students with practical experience through visits to a range of institutions and places relevant to their studies. This offers a unique educational experience for students and helps them enhance their understanding of the theoretical subjects they study at the university.
The visit schedule included a variety of events and activities in which the students participated, such as visiting London South Bank University in London. This visit comes as part of the university’s efforts to equip its students with cognitive skills and general culture related to their fields of study, with the goal of combining theoretical study and practical training to enhance their future capabilities and connect them to the job market in support of their career paths.
The Summer School is considered important for students to acquire many skills in their field of study. The university is keen on enriching the knowledge aspect of its students through various educational activities and field visits to companies and institutions concerned with the specializations it offers. This helps students to easily integrate into the job market after graduation and increases their practical knowledge alongside theoretical knowledge.
Enhancing Cooperation Between the University and Several Jordanian Universities
A delegation from the university, including the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Professor Waheeb Al-Khaja, the University President, Professor Hatem Masri, and the VP of Administration Finance and Community Engagement Dr Mohammed Yousif, visited several educational institutions in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The aim was to explore ways to enhance cooperation and strengthen academic relations.
These visits included Yarmouk University, Jadara University, The World Islamic Sciences and Education University, and Al-Ahliyya Amman University.
A memorandum of understanding was signed between the university and Al-Ahliyya Amman University to enhance the cooperation between the two universities in the fields of education, scientific research, and to strive to achieve academic, scientific, and professional goals.
During these visits, numerous topics of mutual interest were discussed, related to various academic programs and degrees, as well as exploring new specialized disciplines that meet the needs of local, Gulf, Arab, and regional labor markets in general.
The university strongly believes in the importance of partnership and the exchange of expertise with universities and educational institutions that enjoy a prestigious academic reputation internationally and in the Arab world. It is committed to enhancing academic cooperation and achieving sustainable development in the region.
The cooperation between the university and Jordanian universities will contribute to the exchange of knowledge and academic expertise, in addition to enhancing scientific research and developing academic programs in line with market needs and the requirements of sustainable development. Such partnerships reflect the university’s commitment to academic excellence and its position as a leading educational institution at the regional and international levels.
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.
An MOU with Science and Technology University in Egypt
https://www.asu.edu.bh/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/49-Presidents-News-Digest-V4061019.pdf
An MOU with Reva University in India
MOU with Cardiff Metropolitan University
Cardiff Metropolitan can trace its heritage back to 1865, with the formation of Cardiff’s first School of Art and now in 2015, offers over 100 different courses, spread between five schools, across two campuses, with over 12,000 students. It is a truly global community, with connections stretching across the globe.
In 2014, Cardiff Metropolitan recorded its highest ever level of overall student satisfaction and remains the highest ranked ‘new’ (post 1992) university in Wales. In 2015, the university celebrated its 150th anniversary.
ASU partners with CMU to offer two bachelor’s programmes taught in English:
- B.A (Hons) Accounting & Finance
- B.A (Hons) Management & Business Studies
With the opening of these programmes, students will be able to gain internationally recognised UK qualifications in business subjects while studying in Bahrain. On successful completion of their programme, students will be awarded a degree from Cardiff Metropolitan University.
Participating in Univer Virtual Fair
https://www.asu.edu.bh/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/booklet-Final.pdf
An International Virtual Fair was hosted by the “Univer,” which 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 academic backgrounds to browse through these platforms, select 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 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 ASU and its programmes were listed in a virtual dashboard. The fair 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, specialisation variety, scholarships and other relevant topics such as whether they should study in the Kingdom.
International Conference Sustainable Future ICSF
https://www.asu.edu.bh/2017/11/international-conference-sustainable-futures-icsf/
Conference was held under the patronage of HE the Minister of Education, Dr Majid bin Ali Al-Nuaimi and in association with London South Bank University with sponsorships from the Chartered Institute of Building (partial sponsoring of the conference proceedings and best paper on innovation), Nass Group (sponsoring the Gala Dinner), the Higher Education Academy in the UK (sponsoring 2 best papers on sustainable futures), LSBU (partial sponsoring of the proceedings and best paper on research methodology) and many other sponsors.
On the first day, the Conference started with opening remarks from the President of the University and Conference Chair who provided the context for the conference and the rationale for organizing it and provided some research results about the status of competitiveness of Bahrain in relation to other Arab nations and trends over the last 5 years.
A welcome speech was then delivered by Dr Abdul Ghani Al Shuwaikh, Secretary General of the Higher Education Council, on behalf of HE the Minister of Education who spoke at length about the importance of the topic in light of the National Research Strategy developed by the HEC.
Prof Waheeb Alkhaja, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of ASU and Honorary Chair of the Conference, then delivered a speech about the importance of sustainability from Universities’ perspective and how our University is keen to embrace a sustainable approach.
In his speech, Prof Waheeb said “As Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Applied Science University it gives me a great pleasure to welcome our distinguished guests and scholars and researchers and practitioners who have come all the way to Bahrain from as far as Australia, United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, Nigeria, and Turkey and many other countries”.
Prof Waheeb added that “this topical conference organized by Applied Science University in association with London South Bank University and with great support from the Chartered Institute of Building, the Association of Arab Universities and the Higher Education Academy in the UK covers important topics related to our globe and its future sustainability.
It is pleasing to see the Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Building, Mr Chris Blythe, amongst our distinguished guests. This conference will undoubtedly contribute to HM the king’s vision 2030 to make the Kingdom of Bahrain a truly international knowledge hub. The wise leadership of our Kingdom is enabling us to generate knowledge and conduct research that is relevant to our society and communities”. He then thanked HE, the Minister of Education in Bahrain, Dr Majed bin Ali Alnuaimi for his continuous support and for the patronage of this conference and added that our Ministry, the Higher Education Council, and the Bahrain Quality Assurance Authority are doing a great job in transforming Education and Higher Education in the Kingdom, and we are all committed to their vision
and state of the art guiding strategies.
Prof Waheeb added, “ASU has signed a strategic partnership with LSBU and we launched the College of Engineering last September and we are jointly organizing this conference and soon we will be announcing a joint venture to support research, innovation and enterprise.
It is pleasing to see Prof David Phoenix, Vice Chancellor and President of LSBU and many colleagues from LSBU attending this conference. We have also signed a memorandum of collaboration with Cardiff Met and we launched 2 programs in Management and Business Studies and Accounting and Finance last September”.
He concluded by stating, “Building a sustainable future is an important priority for many universities in the Kingdom of Bahrain and beyond. The future leaders of tomorrow need to preach what they learnt about sustainability and undoubtedly Universities can play a major role in producing these future leaders. It is important to address the issue of sustainability by covering the three pillars of Environment, Technology and Economics. Applied Science University (ASU) in Bahrain and since its establishment has operated to be environmentally friendly within the sustainable buildings and campuses context, particularly in terms of the efficient use of energy and resources, especially the use of wastewater” and concluded by once again thanking HE, Dr Majed bin Ali Alnuaimi for his patronage and by wishing participants a successful conference and a pleasant stay in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Following Prof Waheeb’s talk speeches were made by HE Mr Simon Martin, the British Ambassador to Bahrain, about the importance of joint collaboration between Bahraini and British Universities, Prof David Phoenix, Vice Chancellor of LSBU who spoke about the value of linking research and innovation, and finally Mr Chris Blythe, Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Building about the role of professional bodies in supporting sustainable futures. The opening ceremony, which was attended by around 200 people, concluded with awarding the speakers and a group photograph. It was pleasing to see Mr Sameer Nass, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Honorary Chair of the Conference,
attending the opening ceremony.
Following the opening ceremony, keynote speeches were made by Dr Farzana Al Maraghi from the Higher Education Council in Bahrain about the status of research in Bahrain and internationally and gave a detailed description of the Bahrain’s National Research Strategy, and Prof Charles Egbu, Dean of the School of Built Environment and Architecture and CoChair of the Conference who spoke about the link between innovation and sustainability.
Then, three parallel sessions started with 24 presentations on various topics such as construction, sustainable futures, finance, economy, education amongst many others. The first day of the conference was concluded with a panel discussed chaired by Mr Chris Blythe, Chief Executive of the CIOB, with members from Different backgrounds sharing their views on the latest trends in sustainable futures relevant to their respective fields. The panelists were Ms Paula Boast, Mr Christopher Core, Ms Emilia Mateva and Dr Jassim Haji. The guest speaker at the Gala Dinner was Prof Riyadh Hamzah who delivered an interesting speech about the future of sustainability.
The second day of the Conference started with keynote speeches by Dr Roy Blatchford from the Office of the First Deputy Prime Minister about the importance of education in creating sustainable futures, and Prof Mustafa Alshawi from Unisearch UK who spoke about Building Information Modelling. Then, another 3 parallel sessions started with 36 presentations presented throughout the day on topics related to culture, HR, Advanced IT in support of sustainability amongst many others.
The Conference concluded with a successful closing ceremony where speakers, members of the organizing committee and volunteering students were awarded certificates of appreciation. Speakers presented a total of 60 papers from 20 countries from all over the globe. A total of 65 papers were published in the 730 pages Conference proceedings, which was printed in a hard cover with an ISBN number.
The academic outputs from colleagues of the University who made contributions to the conference are listed below:
- Ghassan Aouad, Assem Al-Hajj and Charles Egbu, Proceedings of the International Conference on Sustainable Futures, ISBN 978-99958-90-36-0, Applied Science University, Bahrain
- Assem Al-Hajj and Essam El Chayeb, Effects of green school environment on users’ wellbeing and productivity, Proceedings of the International Conference on Sustainable Futures, ISBN 978-99958-90-36-0, Applied Science University, 26 – 27 November, 2017.
- Islam Abohela, The fictional story of renewables: A proposition for sustainable future, Proceedings of the International Conference on Sustainable Futures, ISBN 978-99958-90-36-0, Applied Science University, 26 – 27 November, 2017.
- Adel Al-Samman and Faiza Zitouni, Core competencies of academics from students’ perspective, Proceedings of the International Conference on Sustainable Futures, ISBN 978-99958-90-36-0, Applied Science University, 26 – 27 November, 2017.
- Camelia Camal, Public private partnership and sustainable development in Bahrain, Proceedings of the International Conference on Sustainable Futures, ISBN 978-99958-90-36-0, Applied Science University, 26 – 27 November, 2017
- Saad Darwish, The role of insurance sector in protecting the GCC economies through risk management practices: Impact of climate change, Proceedings of the International Conference on Sustainable Futures, ISBN 978-99958-90-36-0 Applied Science University, 26 – 27 November, 2017
- Hussein Khasharmeh, Perceptions of determinants of auditors fees in Bahraini listed companies – An empirical study, Proceedings of the International Conference on Sustainable Futures, ISBN 978-99958-9036-0, Applied Science University, 26 – 27 November, 2017.
- Ragab Ismail, The importance of the agricultural sector in achieving relative food security in the Kingdome of Bahrain, Proceedings of the International Conference on Sustainable Futures, ISBN 978-99958-90-36-0, Applied Science University, 26 – 27 November, 2017
- Ashraf Abazeed and Moaiad Khder, Mining association rules from XML data techniques, Proceedings of the International Conference on Sustainable Futures, ISBN 978-99958-90-36-0, Applied Science University, 26 – 27 November, 2017
- Moaiad Khder, Malik Al Zaqebah, Ashraf Abazeed, and Mohammad Saifi, Smart shoes foe visually impaired/blind people, Proceedings of the International Conference on Sustainable Futures, ISBN 97899958-90-36-0, Applied Science University, 26 – 27 November, 2017
- Mohammed Yousif Abu Keir, Staff perceptions of the link between HR practices and organizational performance: A study of Bahraini private universities, Proceedings of the International Conference on Sustainable Futures, ISBN 978-99958-90-36-0, Applied Science University, 26 – 27 November, 2017.
- Saad Darwish, Horiya Aldeeb, Atheela Alazzawi, and Atheer Al Rashid, Critical success elements for small and medium enterprises: Perceptions of entrepreneurs in Bahrain, Proceedings of the International Conference on Sustainable Futures, ISBN 978-99958-90-36-0, Applied Science University, 26 – 27 November, 2017
- Ahlam Al-Ethawi, Faiza Zitouni and Diana El Hageova, The role of business incubators in supporting sustainable entrepreneurship for women in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Proceedings of the International Conference on Sustainable Futures, ISBN 978-99958-90-36-0, Applied Science University, 26 – 27 November, 2017.
- Mohammed Assiadi, Structural settlement monitoring using single-epoch relative GPS positioning, Proceedings of the International Conference on Sustainable Futures, ISBN 978-99958-90-36-0, Applied Science University, 26 – 27 November, 2017.
- Raad Kadhum. Use of LDPE and Steel Slag in Hot Mix Asphalt Concrete as Sustainable Construction Material, Proceedings of the International Conference on Sustainable Futures, ISBN 978-99958-90-36-0, Applied Science University, 26 – 27 November, 2017.
- Khairi Mohamed Omar, Abdullah Hj Abdul Ghanib, The Effects of Human Resources Practices in Libyan Banks Sector on Client Behavior Intention to Subscribe In Islamic Finance System, Proceedings of the International Conference on Sustainable Futures, ISBN 978-99958-90-36-0, Applied Science University, 26 – 27 November, 2017.
- Mahmoud Mawed, Ihab Al Bairam, Assem Al-Hajj, Linking Between Sustainable Development and Facilities Management Strategies: An Integrated Approach for Evaluating the Sustainability of Existing Building in the UAE, Proceedings of the International Conference on Sustainable Futures, ISBN 978-99958-90-36-0, Applied Science University, 26 – 27 November, 2017
I strongly believe that we have run a truly international peer refereed research conference of the highest quality. The feedback we received from participants was overwhelming and very supportive. This wouldn’t have happened without a true team effort. I would like to start by thanking Prof Waheeb for his great support and as a token of appreciation the Conference Proceedings was dedicated to him for his vision and tireless efforts in transforming the University and making it truly international.
I would also like to thank Dr Assem for chairing the scientific committee and dealing with all research and academic matters (and a big thank you to our colleagues from the University who were part of the scientific committee and helped with the paper reviewing process) and Dr Faiza for chairing the organizing committee and dealing with all logistical and organizational issues through a detailed project plan and for doing a lot of the running during the 2 days of the conference.
Many thanks are also due to Dr Mohamed Yousif for his continuous support and extra help provided. This conference wouldn’t have happened without the great efforts from too many colleagues including Ms Tania, the Conference Coordinator, who helped immensely with the website and publicity materials and VIPs invitations and for the coverage in the English press, Mr Abdulla for dealing with many administrative issues especially the difficult issue of securing visas for all participants and handling all financial issues, Ms Ruqaya for being the best MC any organization can dream to have and for her interactions with the media and press and for arranging the conference gifts and dealing with participants’ accommodation and flights and for organizing the social day, Ms Mariam for dealing with the proceedings of the conference and acting as a single contact during the 2 days conference and by being a true professional throughout the conference, Ms Diana who worked so hard communicating with participants, chasing paper reviews, and producing a draft copy of the conference program and keeping all participants and authors informed about the status of the conference, and Mr Moath who worked really hard on keeping the website up-to-date and some of the technical issues. The aforementioned colleagues were part of the organizing committee and made exceptional efforts to make the conference a great success and they were present throughout the conference, day and night.
Other colleagues who have helped included Mr Rifat, Ms Shadia (especially with the competitiveness trends presentation delivered by the President), Mr Shakir, Mr Fernando, and Mr Francisco from ICT who provide exceptional help, Mr Mohamed Nassar (who represented Mr Abdulla in some meetings), Mr Ashraf, Mr Arafat, Mr Majed, Mr Maan, Mr Yasser, Mr Mohamed, Mr Ibrahim, Mr Goodwin, Mr Ahmad, Mr Absar, Mr Abdulla, Mr Hassan (our security and drivers) from admin and finance, Ms Catherine Hogan for checking some of our English material, Mr Bahaa and Mr Hameed from Marketing and Public Affairs, Ms Ayat for sending the invitations for the opening ceremony, Dr Mohammed AlHamami, Mr Mohamed Najjar and Students Council and anybody else who contributed to the conference.
Special thanks must also go to the chair of sessions at the conference: Dr Assem, Dr Faiza, Prof Mahmoud, Prof Saad, Prof Hilal, Dr Ramzi, Dr Ashraf, Dr Islam, Dr Khairi, Dr Marwan, Dr Adel, and Dr Farzana.
Most importantly, I would like to thank our volunteering students who were our best ambassadors at the conference. The exhibition for Art and Science students organized by Dr Belal and Dr Oday with great help from Dr Faiza and Mr Abdulla was well received by participants. I would like to conclude by thanking our colleague speakers (and others who attended to learn) and congratulating them for presenting some real research generated by the University and to say well done to Dr Islam for winning the best paper on innovation awarded by the CIOB, the Chartered Institute of Building.
Organizing an international conference of the highest quality is not as easy task. However, proper planning and commitment and determination can make a big conference. I am confident that the conference will have a positive impact on students’ recruitment and the raising of the University’s profile and reputation in the region and internationally.
The International Conference on Innovation, Technology, Enterprise and Entrepreneurship(ICITEE)
The International Conference on Innovation, Technology, Enterprise and Entrepreneurship (ICITEE) 2019 was held at the Grove Hotel and Conference Center, under the patronage of HE the Minister of Education and Chairman of the Higher Education Council in Bahrain, Dr Majid bin Ali A1 Nuaimi. The conference was organized by the University in association with London South Bank University (LSBU) with great partnership support from the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), the Association of Arab Universities (AArU) and sponsored by the media body’s Akhbar A1 Khaleeji; A1 Ayam; A1 Watan; A1 Bilad; The Daily Tribune; Daily News, BEnterpreneur Magazine in addition to the Palace Enterprise, The Grove Hotel and JD Ads & Events. The conference was attended by distinguished guests, scholars,
researchers and practitioners who came all the way to Kingdome of Bahrain from 16 different nations.
This highly informative conference covered important subjects and themes related to innovation, technology and entrepreneurship including the future directions of Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Virtual and Augmented Reality and Building Information Modelling (BIM) amongst many other important areas.
69 papers from 130 researchers from 16 countries (Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, South Africa, Turkey, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Nigeria, Kuwait, Kazakhstan and Lebanon) were included in the peer refereed proceedings, and around 29 papers produced by colleagues from ASU, some are jointly with other institutions.
Furthermore, 200 participants attended the opening ceremony, where the conference was chaired by an opening speeches from Professor Ghassan Aouad, The University President and Professor Paul Ivey, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Chief Business Officer, London South Bank University, United Kingdom. Followed with a speech delivered by HE Dr Abdul Ghani Alshuwaikh, Secretary General of Higher Education Council, representing the patron of the conference, HE Dr Majid bin Ali A1 Nuaimi, the Minister of Education. This continued with a welcoming speeches by the conference honorary chairs Professor Waheeb A1 Khaja, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Professor David Phoenix, Vice Chancellor of London South Bank University And the honorary guest HE Professor Ezzat Salama, the Secretary General of Association of Arab Universities.
The conference also included the key note speakers Professor David Phoenix who explained about future directions of research and Professor Paul Ivey who highlighted on the topic of entrepreneurship. This was concluded with the Gala Dinner Speaker Professor Charles Egbu who emphasized on innovation.
The second day of the conference was attended by HE Mr Sameer Nass, Chairman of the Board of Directors, where the best 4 papers of the conference was announced at the final ceremony and certificates been given to the members of the Scientific, Organising Committees and students who supported the conference.
This conference demonstrates our ability to attract researchers from across the globe and to run conferences of the highest quality. We should all be proud of what we have achieved in this truly international conference.
