Dubai: Research is going to be the main focus of the American University of Sharjah (AUS) in the coming years, said Kevin Mitchell, the Interim Provost of the university.
He made the statement on Wednesday at a roundtable meeting held on campus, where he also said insufficient research funding in the region can be challenging, not only for AUS, but all other universities in the area as well.
“We plan on enhancing education research programmes because it is the university’s responsibility to provide services needed by its community,” said Mitchell.
AUS plans on doing so by introducing PhD programmes in engineering and business as well as supporting its faculty and students in taking part in ground-breaking research.
Among the research and projects is the targeted chemotherapy research, which is currently being conducted by faculty and students of engineering with the aim of reducing the side effects of cancer. The university also signed an agreement with Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST) to launch a satellite, the CubeSat.
Mitchell said the university spends on average Dh2.5 million per semester, which he believes is not sufficient.
He said research funding is not sufficient in the region and AUS, like other universities, would like to see more funding in these areas.
According to a report published in 2011, the UAE spends 0.03 per cent of its GDP on scientific research, which is significantly below the 0.2 average that Arab countries spend on scientific research.
“What we need is a national body that provides funding similar to the one available in the US where there is the National Science Association, so that strong research ideas can be funded.”
Mitchell said the university is currently depending on their relationship web for funding.
In addition to launching Phd programmes to enhance research the university is also working on establishing a research centre in the near future.
