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Dubai / Emirates Business
Under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, TECOM Group, part of Dubai Holding, the leading global investment group, and Dubai Creative Clusters Authority announced the establishment of Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI). Considered a new milestone in the UAE’s efforts towards driving innovation by building regionally developed graduate design talent, plans for the development of DIDI in collaboration with MIT and Parsons were announced on Monday at an event hosted in the Dubai Design District (d3). Attended by the education and design communities, the event outlined Dubai’s innovation agenda and DIDI’s vision to support it by creating a world class design educational institution. The establishment of the DIDI board of directors, chaired by Dubai Holding Chief Executive Officer, Fadel Al Ali was also
announced at the event.
Driven by the ambitious goals the UAE has set for its economic and knowledge development, the institute is developing a first-of-its-kind curriculum aimed to empower students to design their own four-year educational journey, culminating in the region’s first Bachelor of Design degree with cross concentrations in Product Design, Strategic Design Management, Media, Visual Art and Fashion Design.
Dubai has been a beacon of innovation and design for the region, with the government creating initiatives to support the progress of the design industry. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, decreed the establishment of the Dubai Design & Fashion Council (DDFC) to support Dubai’s development as the emerging design capital of the world. To foster an active design community for people and businesses, TECOM Group formed d3 in collaboration with the creative industry. The MENA Design Education Outlook study released by DDFC in collaboration with d3 in May 2016, highlighted the need for at least 30,000 design graduates by 2019. The findings of this report led to the establishment of DIDI to support the sustainable growth of the regional design sector.