The College of Science at the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) and the Department of Innovative Engineering at the University of Salento (Italy) have signed a cooperation agreement covering marine and coastal studies. More precisely the agreement is between the UAEU Biology Department and the Coastal Engineering Department at the University of Salento.

The agreement was signed by Dr. Ahmed Murad, Dean of the College of Science at UAEU and Professor Giuseppe Grassi, Dean of the Department of Innovative Engineering at the University of Salento.

The agreement includes clauses on joint research about the marine environments and coastal engineering. It also includes provision for student exchange programs, the joint supervision of graduate students, and the sharing of data in order to promote marine research studies. There are also exchange programs for teaching staff and researchers as well as students to work on joint research projects and combined training sessions.

The two institutes are conducting joint research on the effects of longitudinal coastal currents on erosion, sedimentation and sediment quality along Abu Dhabi coast and Saadiyat Island.

The Advisory Board for the College of Science held its first meeting for the 2017-2018 academic year. It approved both the ‘Year of Zayed’ and ‘Maharat’ (Skills) programs. These aim to improve student skill levels through workshops and other non-classroom activities.