American University of Sharjah (AUS) and Sheikh Saqr Program for Government Excellence (SSPGE) in Ras Al Khaimah have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to pursue collaboration and mutual cooperation in a number of important areas. The agreement was signed by Dr. Björn Kjerfve, Chancellor of AUS, and Dr. Mohamed Abdellatif Khalifah, General Manager of SSPGE, at a special ceremony held at AUS today, Wednesday, May 13.

The MoU outlined a framework of cooperation between AUS and SSPGE. It stated that both organizations will undertake collaboration in areas of mutual interest. These include customized training and professional development courses in areas such as project management, quality management, GIS and corporate governance for board of directors; consultation services; support to advisory boards for certain critical functions, such as GIS and e-government; sponsorship for Ras Al Khaimah student residents; student internship programs; and jointly organized conferences.

Chancellor Kjerfve welcomed the agreement with SSPGE. "It has always been our goal as a leading institution of higher education and research to engage with both government and private sector organizations in order to work in areas that will prove fruitful not only for ourselves but also for society at large. We look forward to working with SSPGE," he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Khalifah said "Our main responsibility is to promote excellence through knowledge. We have always considered partnership as an essential enabler of knowledge transfer. Indeed, partnership is one of the core values of SSPGE. We have already had some cooperation with AUS and I believe that this MOU will be beneficial for both of us. I look forward to seeing more joint initiatives with AUS."

The MoU signing ceremony was also attended by a number of senior AUS and SSPGE officials.