Business & Money | Monday 31 October, 2016 4:06 am |

Dubai Week in China: Shanghai – an event exploring Dubai’s role as China’s global gateway for economic development and cultural exchange – yesterday highlighted the possibilities that exist for young and ambitious Chinese talent to accelerate their career path by studying, working and starting businesses in Dubai.

 

Demonstrating the growing cultural connections between the UAE and China, Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) and the Chinese Service Centre for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE) signed an agreement to enable greater levels of collaboration in higher education and student exchange, while Dubai 100 - an initiative supporting entrepreneurs with game-changing ideas – staged a bootcamp offering Chinese start-ups the chance to win a place on its 100-day programme.

 

Degrees earned in Dubai will now be verified by the CSCSE and the Ministry of Education in China, assuring students thinking about studying in the city that their qualifications will be recognised in their homeland. The agreement marked the 10th signing between Chinese and Dubai entities at the Falcon and Associates initiative co-hosted by Invest Shanghai and supported by the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce (SMCC).

 

“The Chinese community has contributed greatly to the growth of Dubai and we are happy this agreement builds on our relationship,” said Dr Abdulla Al Karam, Director General of KHDA, addressing more than 100 Chinese school leaders, university heads, career advisors and investors at The Langham Hotel, Xintiandi. “International branch campuses in Dubai are known for the quality of education they provide and the multi-cultural values and skills they offer students. We look forward to welcoming more students from China to our diverse and happy city.”

 

On a day dedicated to innovation and learning, the excellent study and employment opportunities that a Dubai education can provide Chinese students were explored in sessions co-hosted by KHDA and Falcon and Associates. Panel discussions highlighted the importance of developing cultural intelligence and how Dubai is helping ambitious Chinese talent unlock their potential and develop into future leaders through initiatives such as Dubai Business Internships, a fully-funded programme offering outstanding graduates the opportunity to acquire business knowledge and skills through project-based modules and value-added internships at leading organisations.

 

Another example is Dubai 100, a pre-accelerator programme helping young innovators meet the health challenges of the future. It staged a five-day bootcamp at The House, Xintiandi, to identity teams for its next intake and - following a hotly contested pitch competition between eight teams - MoDoo was announced as the winner. As well as securing $10,000 equity-free funding, thestart-up from from Beijing, which has created the world’s smallest fetus monitoring patch with revolutionary technology to passively monitor heart-rate and movement, was awarded a place on the intensive 100-day programme in Dubai, starting January 2017.

 

“We were honoured to host our first regional bootcamp with Shanghai’s thriving start-up community,” said Roland Daher, Head of Dubai 100, who also gave a key-note speech at the recent Caohejing Innovation Festival. “Dubai offers many opportunities for Chinese start-ups thanks to its commitment to innovation at governmental and industry level. The calibre of digital health start-ups in China is world-leading and by connecting these start-ups to Dubai’s regional and global network we hope to support game-changing innovations that shape the future of digital health worldwide.”

 

Two additional start-ups Heartme and AméSanté were highly commended and also offered places on the pre-accelerator after impressing the judging panel made up of investors and healthcare experts from China, Dubai and Europe. They will join teams selected from around the world to unlock global opportunities through clinical trials, investment and partnerships. 

 

Dubai Week in China: Shanghai is supported by Strategic Partner Expo 2020 Dubai and Official Partners Dubai Chamber, Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) and Jumeirah Group. Supporting Partners include Dubai Duty Free, DIFC Courts, Emirates Airline and KHDA.