MESSAGE FROM HIS HIGHNESS

As a nation, we in the United Arab Emirates have made great progress. Literacy levels are close to 100 percent and increasing numbers of our young people are undertaking higher education degrees. Today, we are closer than ever before to the fruition of our dream to create a world-class knowledge community.

The objective of the Foundation for Policy Research reaches beyond today; it is focused on meeting tomorrow’s challenges and inculcating in our future generations the indispensable value of research and innovation. Our country is in the end only as strong as the knowledge we possess, and for us to prosper and reach greater heights we need to cultivate a robust culture of innovation and research. In the Foundation we are beginning in the area of education policy research but we will be expanding in coming years across all policy areas.

We want to create policies that are based on a foundation of sound research to improve the quality of education and life in our Emirate and the UAE as a whole. The Foundation for Policy Research is a strong proponent of research in policy making across all the social sectors. We realise that we must continually adapt to meet—and to anticipate—the needs of an evolving society. We must be prepared to rethink what we do and how we do it, and to be willing to explore new paths through collaboration with the best new scholars from around the world.

It is my hope that the Foundation for Policy Research will play an ever increasing role in reforming policy making across all social sectors in Ras Al Khaimah and the United Arab Emirates in the coming years. I am looking forward to welcoming talented and committed scholars from varied disciplines, backgrounds and cultures in order to build bridges of understanding, develop our knowledge economy and to embrace a bright future together.