Curtin University presents practical solutions to real-world problems

Bilal Siddiqi is Managing Director Strategy at Transnational Academic Group; Vice Chairman – Lancaster University Ghana, and Director – Learning & Teaching at Curtin University Dubai (CUD). Here he elaborates on CUD launching its first innovation hub and his vision for education in emerging markets like the UAE and Ghana. Excerpts from an interview:

Our Innovation Hub will be a platform where young people with original ideas can be mentored and supported to transform their ideas into practical solutions to real world problems. As a highly ranked university, with a global network, and a history of innovation, we hope to create a local ecosystem where young entrepreneurs can engage with academics, mentors from industry, and potential investors to realise their true potential.

Our goal is to support young people in the early stages of their entrepreneurial journey by helping them develop elevator pitches and MVP’s. Our incubation program is not designed as a general boot camp on business administration. Rather, it is specifically focussed on entrepreneurial competencies – it is a platform for dialogue, for design thinking, for stress-testing solutions, for building resilience in young people, and for connecting people.

We also work closely with Qora71, a UAE-based syndicate partnered with Hub71, giving our students access to experienced mentors and investors to help shape the UAE’s entrepreneurial future.

You have identified some of our key research areas as a campus. We have expertise in sustainability, sustainable manufacturing, digital mental health and the future of work amongst other areas. We already have established collaborations with industry focussing on solar energy and agritech. We do research into how VR can be applied in mental health contexts. We write regularly about how we can reimagine the future of work in light of the impact of emerging technologies on work, workforce and workplace. We are sponsoring five fully funded PhD studentships to grow demand-driven research in the region. We also believe in engaging with the community and with stakeholders from academia, industry and government, and to further this goal, we launched the Curtin Dubai Executive Roundtable series, and are building a broad Community of Practice focussed on the aforementioned research areas.

Last year we launched our first Faculty Development Program in partnership with Curtin Academy, supported by Curtin’s DVC Academic. This initiative introduced iSoLT (Innovation and Scholarship of Learning and Teaching) research to the UAE, sparking several action-projects that advance innovative teaching aligned with our campus strategy. Collaboration remains central to our vision — across Curtin’s six campuses, with industry, academics, and government. These efforts strengthen faculty growth and enhance research outputs, ensuring Dubai contributes meaningfully to Curtin’s global mission of knowledge for the betterment of society.

My father, Zafar Siddiqi, may he rest in peace, was an entrepreneur. His independent ventures were initially in media, where he founded CNBC Arabiya, CNBC Pakistan and Samaa TV. With his longstanding partner, TAG’s current chairman – Rakesh Wahi – they identified a skills and training gap in the region.

Together, they founded Curtin University Dubai and Lancaster University Ghana to address this, while simultaneously expanding their media businesses by founding CNBC Africa and Forbes Africa. I often dwell on the wisdom of my father and seek to carry his voice within me in everything I do. My father believed three pillars — rule of law, strong education, and robust financial markets — were the foundation of national growth. I have the privilege of continuing his legacy, and in the roles I now occupy in Pakistan, the UAE and across Africa, I see everywhere the great power of creating lifelong partnerships; of investing in people; of participating in the journeys of nations.