Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan inaugurates IIM Ahmedabad’s debut global campus in Dubai

India’s premier management institute, IIM Ahmedabad, has opened its first international campus in Dubai, with Crown Prince of Dubai HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum inaugurating the facility.

The launch was attended by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and senior officials from India and the UAE.

Speaking at the event, Pradhan said, “It is a great honor to have the IIM Ahmedabad Dubai campus inaugurated by HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai. This is another big leap towards globalization of India’s education as envisioned by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.”

He added, “The IIM Ahmedabad Dubai campus will take the best of India to the world. Dubai, today, has provided the perfect launchpad to the ethos of ‘Indian in spirit, global in outlook’ by hosting the IIM Ahmedabad international campus.”

He expressed gratitude to Sheikh Hamdan for strengthening India-UAE knowledge cooperation and highlighted the role of the new campus in promoting global academic engagement.

During his visit, Pradhan also held discussions with HE Dr Abdulrahman Abdulmannan Al Awar, Acting Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, UAE, where both sides reviewed higher education cooperation and agreed to deepen research partnerships, academic exchanges, and innovation-focused initiatives.

“India is a global hotspot of talent, and the UAE is a global economic hotspot,” Pradhan said, underlining shared priorities in education and people-to-people ties.

The minister later visited the Manipal University campus in Dubai and met principals of leading Indian institutions operating in the UAE, including Symbiosis, BITS Pilani, MIT, and Amity.

He emphasized the need to move research efforts from academic publications to productization and marketization, with a focus on boosting Brand India in education, entrepreneurship, and innovation.

Pradhan also engaged with over 100 principals of Indian curriculum schools in the UAE and other Gulf countries, announcing the launch of 12 Atal Tinkering Labs in CBSE schools across GCC nations to foster STEM learning and entrepreneurship among students.

In a symbolic gesture, the minister planted a Ghaf tree at the Indian Consulate in Dubai under the “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0” campaign, describing it as a symbol of stability, peace, and India-UAE friendship.

The two-day visit further included the inauguration of BTech and PhD programs at IIT Delhi–Abu Dhabi in Chemical Engineering and Energy & Sustainability, as well as the launch of an Atal Incubation Centre to support joint start-ups and research ventures.

These initiatives are expected to boost cooperation in deep tech, AI, clean energy, and healthcare, strengthening educational and innovation linkages between India and the UAE.