Coventry University to host Gulf seminar on the entrepreneurial university

Under the patronage of His Royal Highness Sheikh Juma Bin Maktoum Al Maktoum, Coventry University Enterprises Ltd, the commercial arm of Coventry University, is hosting a seminar on “The Entrepreneurial University” in Dubai on Thursday 30 May 2013.

This is the first time a seminar has been held in the region by a university which has been successful in transforming itself into one which is widely recognised as contributing to the growth of entrepreneurship.

Open to senior staff from universities in the Gulf and education policy makers in region, this one day seminar will investigate the ways in which modern universities can succeed in growing into their new roles as hubs of innovation and economic development.

Charting Coventry University’s success in being named by The Times newspaper of London as The Entrepreneurial University of the Year in 2011, the seminar will also outline strategies for Gulf universities to follow their governments’ policy leads in developing the higher education sector to be a major driver of the knowledge-based, innovative economies of the future.

The following business experts from Coventry University will be speaking at the event:

• Professor David Morris, founding Dean of Coventry Business School and Professor of Business Development at Coventry University. Professor Morris has been researching, consulting and teaching in the Middle East for over twenty-five years.

• Dr Clive Winters, Assistant Director of Coventry University Enterprises Ltd. Dr Winters has been instrumental in guiding the transformation of Coventry University from a predominantly teaching-led institution into one of Europe’s premier business-facing universities.

David Morris, Professor of Business Development at Coventry University, said:

There is substantial pressure for universities to become more innovative and prepare graduates to take a leading role in developing the private sector. There is also a very rapid growth in the number of higher education institutions in the Gulf; over 100 have been founded in the last ten years.

Universities are competing with each other to become distinctive and develop new strategies for survival in the marketplace. Whilst these trends are widely recognised by university leaders there is little understanding of the strategies and policies which can be adopted at the institutional level to become ‘entrepreneurial’ and extend their traditional teaching roles.

Coventry University is widely recognised as place of learning with a sharp business focus so it is especially well placed to offer its expertise in this arena.

The Entrepreneurial University seminar takes place from 10am to 4pm on Thursday 30 May 2013 at The Address Hotel, Dubai Mall, Dubai.  Senior university staff members at the level of Vice-Chancellor, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Dean are invited to attend as are educational policy makers and ministry officials.

Attendance at the event costs £200.To find out more about the seminar, please contact Professor David Morris on d.morris@coventry.ac.uk

For further press information please contact Mark Farnan, communications officer, Coventry University, on +44 (0)24 7765 8245 or email mark.farnan@coventry.ac.uk.