The Al-Maktoum Institute is planning to hold a seminar to discuss events in the Middle East. Principal Professor Malory Nye said events in the region were moving too fast to be easily grasped.
The news came as the Blackness Road institute, which specialises in Arab and Islamic studies, this week said farewell to a group of female students from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar.
The ceremony was at Marryat Hall and marked the departure of the 50 students, who are heading home after an educational tour.
During their four-week stay they visited the Scottish Parliament, the House of Lords and Aberdeen University, which validates the institute’s postgraduate qualifications.
The students are the largest group of visitors to take part in the academic programme, designed to advance their understanding of Scotland and the challenges of global dialogue and exchange.
Al-Maktoum has welcomed more than 400 students on the programme over the past eight years, and the latest trip is reckoned to have boosted the local economy by around £200,000.
Professor Nye said, “The Al-Maktoum Institute is playing a significant and ongoing role in working with young women regarded as potential leaders in their society. Their nations’ leaders are encouraging and developing an increasing role for women in today’s UAE and Qatar-in government, the law and politics.
“Our programmes are proving to be hugely successful and we are delighted this group is the latest to be heading home with fond memories of Dundee and Scotland.”
Guests at a farewell ceremony included the UAE’s ambassador to the UK, Abdul Rahman Ghanim Al-Mutaiwee, and the chairman of the institute’s board, Mirza Al-Sayegh.
Professor Nye said the institute was on course to achieve university college status within the next decade and was looking forward to doubling the number of courses it teaches hopefully attracting more students in the process.