Young Designers Exhibition in Dubai

The organizer of the Global Graduates Exhibition, the International Forum for Artists and Designers, announced the organization of a new version of the event, in partnership with the Government Investment Corporation of Dubai, from 12 to 16 November, with the aim of creating projects that have a positive impact on the whole world.

The exhibition will be the largest and most diverse gathering in the world for universities and alumni working to unleash socially impactful innovations.

This year’s edition is expected to attract more than 150 graduates from 43 countries to the Emirate of Dubai, and its topics include exploring areas in which innovation can contribute to making a positive impact on the individual, home, community, city, and planet. In the wake of the expansion of the exhibition grounds, this year’s edition will host the largest university forum ever, especially after the organizers of it received a new record of participation requests. 

The Global Graduate Exhibition will feature 150 projects of various disciplines, which will showcase the most prominent innovations from universities in emerging markets, including Chile, Uganda, Egypt, Pakistan, and Thailand, as well as the work of students from the elite of international universities such as Harvard University, Stanford University, and Imperial College London. As for the United Arab Emirates, the projects participating in the exhibition come from leading local universities such as Zayed University and New York University Abu Dhabi.

In this regard, His Excellency Mohammed Ibrahim Al Shaibani, Member of the Board of Directors and CEO of the Government Investment Corporation of Dubai, said: “Last year, the Government Investment Corporation of Dubai was keen to support the Global Graduation Exhibition in order to enhance the spread, diversity, and scope of its program. The rest of the world has the opportunity to review and develop solutions that benefit society and the environment alike. The renewal of our partnership is an affirmation of Dubai’s commitment to building a better and more sustainable future for all, relying on the city’s position as a global center for innovation and entrepreneurship. This year is a distinguished innovation. “

The program also includes the “Innovation for Social Impact” conference and the Entrepreneurship Program for the participating graduates. The exhibition will be held on the sidelines of Dubai Design Week and receive visitors from the public free of charge.

Eleanor Watson joins the exhibition team this year as a curator to provide a fresh perspective on the event, from London’s Design Museum.

Eleanor Watson said: “The Global Graduate Fair is a meeting place for the brightest young minds in the design sector. This year’s event showcases a range of projects from more than 100 universities. The organizational methodology we adopted this year aims to highlight the links between different aspects. Our human presence, as visitors wander the length of the exhibition to see projects related to people first, and those who go forward to home and society and conclude their tour with projects centered around the city and the planet. Act consciously. “

From the United Arab Emirates, leading local universities such as Zayed University and New York University Abu Dhabi will showcase a range of advanced solutions to problems ranging from population aging to food security.

Participants from around the world include a thermally modified membrane designed specifically for premature babies born in low-income or developing countries, created by a group of students from Nottingham Trent University in the United Kingdom and an integrated fund dedicated to resource-scarce communities that generate energy using solar panels. While other panels condense the moisture in the atmosphere and turn it into water, it is an invention of the alumni of the University of ‘Politecnico di Torino’ and the College of Engineers in Turin, Italy.

On the other hand, the Global Graduate Exhibition is hosted on Monday, 1 January November, the conference dedicated to academics and experts in the sector, under the title of “innovation for social impact”, in order to improve the levels of knowledge exchange between institutions. The conference explores ways to transform universities around the world into catalysts for sustainable development, as well as building on the experiences of professors, alumni, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders. It will also highlight the lessons learned from current initiatives that rely on innovation to ensure equitable and sustainable development in the areas of technology, architecture, and design. The conference is organized by the “Community Jameel” Foundation, which specializes in social projects.

The Entrepreneurship Program is a new initiative launched in 2019 to support graduate projects from their first steps to their launch in the market. The first stage of the program is the completion of online training that covers the basics of business thinking and ways to create a social startup. Then, up to 20 projects will be selected to attend a training camp in Dubai in order to develop emerging concepts and promotional skills related to them.

In the final stage, participants will be introduced to accelerators and stakeholders working in entrepreneurship in Dubai in order to explore potential collaborative opportunities. The aim of the program is to provide the opportunity for projects participating in the Global Graduate Exhibition to undergo further development in conjunction with attracting innovative young talents from all over the world to join the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Dubai.