Social Innovation Chair set up

Abu Dhabi: General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, has welcomed the partnership agreement signed between the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court (CPC) and INSEAD, the leading international business school, to establish the Crown Prince's Diwan Endowed Chair in Social Innovation and Sustainability at INSEAD's Centre for Executive Education and Research in Abu Dhabi.

The remarks were made when Shaikh Mohammad received at Al Bateen Palace Frank Brown, Dean of INSEAD and Peter Jadersten, executive director of INSEAD, Abu Dhabi.

The partnership agreement, which was announced on Sunday, was signed by undersecretary Mohammad Mubarak Al Mazroui on behalf of the Crown Prince's court and Frank Brown, Dean of INSEAD.

Commenting on the partnership agreement, Al Mazroui said: "This initiative is consistent with the government of Abu Dhabi's commitment to the ongoing development of the higher education sector within the emirate, and builds upon the UAE's growing importance as an international business hub".

He added that the initiative brings together outstanding faculty to the region to advance the learning and teaching of social innovation and sustainability. He said it promotes new business models and market-based mechanisms that promise to deliver sustainable economic, environmental and social prosperity.

The Crown Prince's Diwan Chair will be awarded to visiting and resident INSEAD faculty at INSEAD's Abu Dhabi Centre, where faculty will typically hold the Chair for terms of three months and up to two years.

Topics include the theme of corporate citizenship which cuts across economics and sociology and will involve research on issues related to the preservation of culture and local identity while embarking on the path of development and globalisation.

On his part, Brown said that this donation marks the first Chair in Social Innovation and Sustainability for the school and guarantees resources to attract and retain outstanding faculty at the INSEAD Abu Dhabi Centre.

Brown also said that the partnership is further testimony to INSEAD's ongoing commitment to contribute to building a more responsible global business climate.

He noted that INSEAD has been at the global forefront of research on social innovation and sustainability.