In accordance with the UAE's keenness on advocating the concept of excellence in the UAE, and in line with the efforts of the United Arab Emirates University to implement the best practices in the field of higher education and instill a culture of excellence, the initiative of launching the Chancellor’s Award for Institutional Excellence became a benchmark for honoring and appreciating active members in the university community and served as an important link in the institutional development project.

The Excellence Awards at its third cycle include three main categories: the Institutional Excellence category, the chancellor’s medals category and the Special Recognition category. The award aims mainly at improving the mechanisms of institutional work, promoting competition among colleges / departments / centers, and building as well as developing the capacities of employees and qualifying them for best administrative practices in service delivery.

The award aims to raise the awareness of the culture of excellence, quality and transparency and make it an essential component of the university working environment and prepare in advance for participation in the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Award for Excellence in Government Performance. In fact, the outcomes of the UAE internal awards are an input to the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Award for Excellence in Government Performance.