Khalifa University of Science and Technology and the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation announced the launch of the Al Ghurair Innovation Hub on July 1, 2026. The new facility is designed to bridge education and industry while preparing graduates with practical skills, professional experience and an entrepreneurial mindset required for the future of work, according to a joint statement from the partners. The initiative aligns with broader goals to advance the UAE’s knowledge economy through enhanced collaboration between academia and employers.
The hub will provide a collaborative platform where students, faculty and industry partners address real-world challenges via industry-sponsored projects, hackathons and design challenges, Khalifa University reported. It will also function as a catalyst for employability, entrepreneurship and innovation by enabling students to apply classroom knowledge in professional settings before graduation. The Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation added on X that the partnership is turning learning into earning while preparing graduates with the skills and capability to shape the future of work.
Previous joint work has seen Khalifa University develop more than 30 online and hybrid courses that reached over 33,000 learners, including through collaboration with Coursera, university figures show. The partners also introduced the university’s first co-operative education pilot program with the University of Waterloo, adapting internationally recognized work-integrated learning models to engineering education in the UAE. Building on these outcomes, Khalifa University plans to launch a new Employability Certificate in fall 2026 that combines experiential learning, career development and workplace readiness.
Located on the Khalifa University main campus, the Al Ghurair Innovation Hub will be governed by a joint steering committee co-chaired by the president of Khalifa University and the chief executive officer of the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation, the announcement stated. In addition to hosting experiential learning programs, the hub will organize regional and international forums on the future of higher education. It will further extend opportunities nationwide by integrating with the Nomu Al Ghurair Job Readiness Program.
The Nomu Al Ghurair Job Readiness Program focuses on equipping Emirati youth with market-driven skills in digital, vocational, green industries, entrepreneurship and career readiness pathways, according to details on the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation website. It targets sustainable employment, self-employment or continued education, with a goal of at least 65 percent of participants achieving positive career outcomes within six months of completion. The foundation’s annual report placed its 2023 impact at more than 35,000 new learners reached through education and talent development efforts.
This latest hub forms part of the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation’s ongoing work to close the education-to-employment gap, foundation materials indicated. The ‘Alajdar’ Employability Programme launched by Khalifa University and the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation represents a key element in these activities. Similar partnerships have extended to youth employment initiatives across the region, including with entities in Jordan and Egypt.
