UAE's best universities: Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation


Daniel Bardsley
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As thousands of final-year pupils in the UAE submit their applications to universities, we take a look at some of the best higher education options in the country and what they have to offer

Where is it from?

The UAE

When was it founded?

2018

What is it?

Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation is described as the region’s first and only university dedicated to design and innovation. It offers the region’s first multidisciplinary design degree (bachelor of design). It is a private, non-profit university, accredited by the Ministry of Education.

It says it prepares students to respond to a rapidly changing world with transferable skills that are cross-disciplinary and problem-solving by design.

Where is it based?

Dubai Design District, which is described as a creative platform from Tecom Group dedicated to design, fashion, architecture, art and retail.

What are examples of the fees?

Dh98,000 ($26,680) plus VAT annually, including studio fees.

What subject areas does it teach?

The institute offers a four-year bachelor of design course that, it says, “offers students a unique opportunity to participate in cross-disciplinary coursework across all four years of the degree”.

“Based on our studio concept of ‘learning by doing’, the coursework focuses on visual literacy and technological fluency,” it says.

Students choose two areas of focus from a total of four: product design, strategic design management, multimedia design and fashion design.

The Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation was founded in 2018. Photo: Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation
The Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation was founded in 2018. Photo: Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation

“The degree programme is based on visualisation, creative problem solving, design-thinking and fabrication with sustainability and cross-disciplinary work embedded throughout,” the university says.

“A project-based methodology through our core studio classes is firmly grounded in design and problem solving.

“The first-year design foundation experience is based on visualisation, problem-solving, design-thinking, fabrication, and sustainable design concepts.

“Second and third-year students work across their two chosen disciplines through a studio, workshop and lecture-based coursework.

“The final year at DIDI is dominated by thesis prep and a thesis project, where students experience modular coursework designed to support the individual development of their thesis proposal.

“DIDI’s four year-long programme allows students to seamlessly blur the boundaries between traditional fields of design, increasing their ability to practice empathy, solve complex problems, think critically, and develop a heightened level of emotional intelligence.”

Where is it ranked globally?

It is not listed in major international rankings.

Who goes there?

There are more than 140 design students representing more than 20 nationalities. Of the students, 80 per cent are UAE residents and 31 per cent are Emiratis.

Who has attended the university?

Its first intake of students graduated this year. They completed the four-year programme covering fashion design, product design, multimedia design and strategic design management.

Hani Asfour, dean of the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation. Photo: Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation.
Hani Asfour, dean of the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation. Photo: Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation.

A word from the dean, Hani Asfour

“Design is the discipline of the day and of the future. In the context of a rapidly evolving digital world, designers are trained to humanise technology, make innovation visible and make digital experiences desirable," he said.

“DIDI’s curriculum, developed with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Parsons School of Design, merges design with technology and strategy, so from the get-go our students are treated like entrepreneurs, with a focus on hands-on learning and direct implementation of solutions.

“Our students master complex problem solving, critical thinking and creativity, the top three skills [as stated by the World Economic Forum] required to succeed in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

“In their final year, students pursue their passion and dreams to design and develop their individual capstone projects. Selected projects have a chance to join our affiliate institution, In5, to accelerate and incubate their ideas and match them with investors.”

Points classification after Stage 4

1. Arnaud Demare (France / FDJ) 124

2. Marcel Kittel (Germany / Quick-Step) 81

3. Michael Matthews (Australia / Sunweb) 66

4. Andre Greipel (Germany / Lotto) 63

5. Alexander Kristoff (Norway / Katusha) 43

Herc's Adventures

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Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5

Infiniti QX80 specs

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Power: 450hp

Torque: 700Nm

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Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The%20specs
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Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

SPECS

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Engine: two-litre 4-cylinder turbo

Transmission: nine-speed automatic

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Torque: 450Nm

Price: JCW Clubman, Dh220,500; JCW Countryman, Dh225,500

Dates for the diary

To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:

  • September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
  • October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
  • October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
  • November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
  • December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
  • February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
Pathaan
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UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

 

 

Updated: September 08, 2022, 4:00 AM`