On Monday, 23 June 2025, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), held three separate meetings at the Organization’s headquarters in Rabat with presidents and representatives from Al Qasimia University and Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU) of the United Arab Emirates, as well as the University of Technology and Applied Sciences (UTAS) of the Sultanate of Oman. The meetings focused on exploring avenues for academic cooperation and the development of higher education in light of ongoing digital transformations.

During the meetings, Dr. AlMalik emphasized that the future of higher education in the Islamic world depends on the ability of academic institutions to embrace digital transformation. He affirmed that smart universities represent an advanced model for addressing modern challenges. In this context, he reviewed ICESCO’s programs supporting open higher education and its initiatives aimed at training academic staff in the use of digital education tools and platforms. He also called for building effective bridges of cooperation between traditional and digital universities to close the gap and enhance integration.

In his meeting with the ICESCO Director-General, which was also attended by Mr. Salim Omar Salim, Director of ICESCO’s Regional Office in Sharjah, Dr. Mansoor Alawar, Chancellor of HBMSU, outlined the University’s vision of leveraging AI to develop future educational models. He stressed the importance of training academic personnel and modernizing university administrative systems to keep pace with the evolving educational landscape.

Dr. Jamal Salim Al Turaifi, President of Al Qasimia University, highlighted during his meeting with Dr. AlMalik the importance of strengthening cooperation in the fields of intercultural dialogue and cultural convergence. He expressed his university’s keenness to develop academic partnerships with ICESCO aimed at promoting a culture of peace and embedding the values of understanding and coexistence within higher education institutions.

In another meeting, Dr. Said Hamed Al Rubaii, Vice Chancellor of UTAS, affirmed his university’s readiness to expand cooperation with ICESCO by launching joint research and training programs that would enhance the digitalization of higher education and support efforts to build a knowledge-based economy in the Islamic world.