AUS and Dubai Health renew MoU to strengthen collaboration

The signing ceremony took place during the Ru’ya Career Fair 2025 at Dubai World Trade Centre in the presence of Dr Matthias Ruth, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost at AUS; Dr Fadi Aloul, Dean of the College of Engineering; and Dr Hanan Al Suwaidi, Deputy CEO and Chief Academic Officer of Dubai Health and Provost of Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU).

“Our partnership with Dubai Health reflects our determination to connect world-class academic learning with real-world impact. By linking AUS’ strengths in research and teaching with Dubai Health’s leadership in healthcare and innovation, we are creating pathways that give our students not only knowledge but the practical experience and confidence to thrive from the moment they enter the workforce. This renewal represents a continued investment in the UAE’s knowledge economy and in the future of our graduates,” said Dr Ruth.

The renewed agreement expands opportunities for joint teaching and research, student training and exchange, and the supervision of theses, dissertations and projects. It further provides AUS students and faculty with access to Dubai Health’s technical and research laboratories, and encourages shared participation in conferences, workshops and symposia. In addition, the partnership opens the door to developing joint programs and certificates while enabling consultations across a wide range of academic fields.

Dr Hanan Al Suwaidi, Deputy CEO and Chief Academic Officer of Dubai Health and Provost of MBRU, said: “We are grateful to renew our partnership with AUS, a collaboration that continues to enrich both institutions. By working together, we are able to extend the boundaries of teaching and research, opening new opportunities for faculty and students to learn from one another and to contribute to knowledge that serves our communities. Together, we are nurturing talent in science and technology, and we look forward to building on this partnership to inspire future generations.”

Since the AUS College of Engineering established this relationship with Dubai Health in 2022, it has since expanded on many fronts and now includes collaborations with other AUS colleges such as the AUS College of Architecture, Art and Design. The partnership has supported pioneering research, including the Neuroengineering Research Group’s data analysis for the Analog Mission program managed by Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre. Faculty and students have worked on a wide range of projects, from developing PainDetect: A Multimodal Platform for Objective Pain Measurement to advancing PhD research in areas such as AI-driven digital twin models for managing depressive disorders and the adoption of transformative healthcare technologies.

The collaboration has also extended to hackathons, co-advising doctoral students, working on innovative medical device projects, and preparing a joint symposium, as well as launching initiatives like the 2025 Design4Health Boot Camp and stakeholder engagement sessions on healthcare innovation.

Importantly, Dubai Health has also provided AUS students with valuable career experience. Since 2022, approximately 20 engineering students have been placed in internships across its network, with many of them interning every summer at MBRU, the learning and discovery arm of Dubai Health. These opportunities strengthen the university’s mission to link academic excellence with professional readiness.