~ Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and UAE’s Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism signed the MoU in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE; and Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Government of India

~ The IIMA Dubai campus will be located in the Dubai International Academic City (DIAC), the region’s premier higher education hub with a multicultural environment

~ One-year full-time MBA at IIMA’s Dubai campus will be spread over five terms, with rigorous academics and international exposure

April 9, 2025:  The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Mumbai yesterday for the establishment of the IIMA Dubai Campus. The MoU was exchanged by Professor Bharat Bhasker, Director, IIMA, and His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE; and Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. This partnership marks a significant step in IIMA’s journey towards global leadership in management education.

The IIMA Dubai campus will be established in two phases. In the first phase, IIMA will be provided with space in the Dubai International Academic City (DIAC), the region’s premier higher education hub with a multicultural environment. The campus will provide access to cutting-edge academic resources to inspire innovation and foster excellence. In the second phase of campus development, IIMA will be provided with land where the permanent campus will come up and be operational from 2029.

Sharing his thoughts on the partnership, Mr Pankaj Patel, Chairperson, Board of Governors, IIMA, said, “As a leading global management institution, IIMA has always been expanding the frontiers of management research, leadership, and education. We are extremely happy to start our full-fledged campus in Dubai with the support of the Government of Dubai this year. Over the next decade, we envision this to be a thriving centre where young leaders of tomorrow will hone their skills, innovate and become pathfinders. As we create new learning experiences globally, we remain committed to transformative learning, leadership, and creating enduring impact in the community.”

Highlighting the significance of this strategic milestone, Professor Bharat Bhasker, Director, IIMA, said, “Dubai has emerged as a thriving global epicentre for innovation, investment, and entrepreneurship, making it the ideal location for us to establish our first international campus. Our objective is to provide high-quality management education to aspiring leaders in the Middle East and surrounding regions. We are excited to collaborate with the UAE Government to set up a state-of-the-art campus within the Dubai International Academic City (DIAC), the region’s premier higher education hub. I am confident that this synergy will set new benchmarks for academic and research collaboration in Asia and the Middle East. Dubai offers unparalleled opportunities to engage with industry leaders, multinational corporations, and high- growth startups. While this collaboration strengthens IIMA’s commitment to offering world- class management education, it will also foster cross-cultural exchanges that will prepare our graduates to thrive in a globalised environment. Our presence in Dubai offers unparalleled access to international markets, world-class faculty, and a diverse, high-achieving peer group alongside IIM Ahmedabad’s legacy of academic rigour and international exposure for personal and professional growth. Our presence in Dubai will also strengthen our offerings in India, and together, these two campuses will help us become a global leader in management education with a seamless exchange of innovation and knowledge. We have successfully grown our full-time One-year MBA programme for the last 20 years, and it will be the first programme that we will offer in the Dubai Campus.”

Speaking on the collaboration, Mr Hadi Badri, CEO, Dubai Economic Development Corporation (DEDC), said, “The launch of IIMA's Dubai Campus is poised to further underline the city's global reputation as a hub for talent, innovation and entrepreneurship, providing a platform to further elevate business leadership skills not just within Dubai itself, but across the wider region. Guided by the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and the direction of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, we are committed to leveraging global partnerships and educational excellence to drive economic impact, in line with the goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33. This partnership further underlines the strong economic and social links between Dubai and India, and we look forward to working with IIMA to firmly establish the institution within Dubai’s academic and business landscape.”

Applauding the partnership between IIMA and the UAE government, His Excellency Sunjay Sudhir, Ambassador of India to the UAE, said, “The signing of MoU between IIMA and Dubai Department of Economy & Tourism in the august presence of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum is truly a watershed moment in India-UAE bilateral partnership. This development epitomizes the close traditional friendship, the robustness of the economic partnership, and the strong trust that the two countries have for each other. With a resident Indian diaspora strength of 4.36 million as at the end of 2024, the largest concentration of Indian nationals outside the country, UAE seems to be a natural destination for iconic temples of higher learning from India who intend to expand their footprint globally. IIMA campus in Dubai will bring the best of Indian management education to Indians in UAE and the wider region, our Emirati friends, and the truly global expat population which calls Dubai their home. IIMA Dubai campus will be the best addition till date to Dubai & UAE’s higher education landscape, potentially transforming and further solidifying UAE’s growing status not just as the global logistics, economic and financial hub but a crucial education hub that services the diverse sectors of global economy by producing high quality professionals.”

About the Full-time One-year MBA at IIMA Dubai Campus:
As the first programme, the IIMA Dubai Campus will offer a full-time One-year MBA that is designed to cater to the advanced management learning and upskilling needs of global working professionals and entrepreneurs. This immersive programme, with IIMA’s acclaimed case method pedagogy, aims to equip ambitious professionals with cutting-edge business insights to navigate global market challenges and prepare them for C-suite leadership while aligning with the UAE’s vision for innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic growth. It will help participants transform into global leaders and change agents by sharpening their strategic thinking, enhancing their leadership capabilities, and building global agility to make a lasting impact across industries and global markets.

Admission to the full-time One-year MBA at IIMA’s Dubai campus will follow a rigorous two- stage process based on the standardised GMAT/GRE score taken within the last five years. Spread over five terms, the programme will provide rigorous academics and international exposure within an elite learning environment that mirrors the excellence of IIM Ahmedabad’s globally renowned MBA. It will also offer an extensive portfolio of electives, expanding ample scope for personalised learning and specialisation. The admission process will start soon, and the first batch will begin in September 2025.

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About IIM Ahmedabad:

The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) is a premier global management Institute that is at the forefront of promoting excellence in the field of management education. In more than six decades of its existence, the Institute has been acknowledged for its exemplary contributions to scholarship, practice, and policy through its distinctive teaching, high-quality research, nurturing future leaders, supporting industry, government, social enterprise, and creating a progressive impact on society.

IIMA was founded as an innovative initiative by the Government, industry, and international academia in 1961. Since then, it has been consolidating its global footprint and today it has a network with over 80 top international institutions and a presence in Dubai. Its eminent faculty members and around 45,000 alumni, who are at the helm of influential positions in all walks of life also contribute to its global recognition. Over the years, IIMA’s academically superior, market-driven, and socially impactful programmes, have earned a high reputation and acclaim globally. It became the first Indian institution to receive international accreditation from EQUIS. The Institute is also placed first in the Government of India’s National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), India Rankings 2024. The Institute has been ranked 43rd globally in the Financial Times (FT) Executive Education Rankings 2024. The renowned flagship two-year Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP) is ranked 39th in the FT Masters in Management Ranking 2024 and the one-year Post Graduate Programme in Management for Executives (PGPX) has been ranked 31st in the FT Global MBA rankings 2025.

IIMA offers consultancy services and more than 200 curated executive education programmes in customised, blended, and open enrolment formats for a diverse audience comprising business leaders, policymakers, industry professionals, academicians, government officials, armed forces personnel, agri-business, and other niche sector specialists and entrepreneurs.

To know more about IIMA, please visit: https://www.iima.ac.in/

For media queries, please contact:
Ms. Shivangi Bhatt | manager-comm@iima.ac.in 

Ms. Saumya Mishra | pr@iima.ac.in