Abu Dhabi University

The university's inception can be traced to the Charter of Abu Dhabi University in the year 2000 by Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed al-Nayhan, the-then Deputy Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates. Following three years of planning, the Abu Dhabi University was inaugurated in June 2003 and opened its doors to students in September 2003. According to the university, its founders "envisioned an institution that would be among the best in the United Arab Emirates, the Arabian Gulf region, and the world".