• Dubai
• Emirates

Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) and Member of the Dubai Council, attended the graduation ceremony of the second cohort of design students of the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation’s (DIDI). The ceremony was held at the Mohammed bin Rashid Library in Dubai.
Her Highness highlighted Dubai's vision for the future, which centres on nurturing young leaders who can drive development across diverse fields. She emphasised Dubai’s commitment to providing the necessary education and knowledge to empower young talent to stay abreast of global advancements and design effective solutions that support growth in vital sectors.
Sheikha Latifa also underscored Dubai’s continuous endeavour to provide the creative sector with young talented innovators capable of integrating technology solutions with entrepreneurial principles and driving meaningful change in the design field.
“Dubai is steadfast in its mission to strengthen and energise the cultural and creative industries sector. By amplifying its intrinsic value, harnessing its potential, and optimising its contribution to the UAE’s GDP, the emirate is creating an attractive landscape for projects and programmes that support the creative community through a blending of passion and scholarly pursuit, thereby discovering and nurturing authentic talent within the sector. Such endeavours help realise the sustainable development goals and cement the emirate’s position as an incubator for creativity and a global hub for design,” Her Highness said.
Her Highness also emphasised the rapid pace of technological progress and the need for future generations to cultivate ambition, skills, and academic pursuits to embrace future opportunities. She also highlighted the significance of design as a fundamental pillar in building a creative economy that is based on knowledge and innovation.
DIDI’s multidisciplinary design programme aims to foster the cultural and creative ecosystem in the UAE by nurturing young talent and equipping them with knowledge-based design thinking concepts and applications. It encompasses the latest curricula and academic experiences delivered by a team of specialised academics from the design and technology fields.
DIDI’s graduates represent the university’s multicultural student body, hailing from over ten countries worldwide. Furthermore, around 30% of the graduating class are Emiratis.
His Excellency Malek Al Malek, Director General of the Dubai Development Authority (DDA) and Chairman of DIDI, said: “Economic resilience and a commitment to diversification have secured Dubai’s status as a global business and talent hub. Our leadership’s vision for the emirate necessitates a sustainable flow of skilled thinkers who can contribute to emerging and established sectors alike by spearheading innovative ideas and creating new value that underpins economic growth. In this endeavour, evolving higher education to meet tomorrow’s needs is key and DIDI represents this new chapter. The university aims to nurture ambitious creators and thinkers who can keep up with the fast and continuous pace of change. Instilling agility, entrepreneurial thinking and innovation into academia is essential in preparing students for the changing work cultures and facilitating sustainable and impactful development.”
DIDI provides the region’s first and only curriculum dedicated to design and innovation. The university’s Bachelor of Design stands out as the first multidisciplinary programme of its kind in the Middle East, encompassing four distinct disciplines: product design, multimedia design, fashion design, and strategic design management. The programme has been meticulously crafted to meet the escalating demand for forward-thinking designers and innovators on both a regional and global scale, blending tech fluency, visual literacy, and strategic proficiency and preparing students for the dynamic design landscape.
Mohammad Abdullah, DIDI’s President, said: “We are immensely proud to celebrate DIDI’s second graduating class. Our founding purpose was to empower students with future-proof skills and multidisciplinary design thinking that ensures tomorrow’s digital-first world prioritises the well-being of people and the planet. Our students show how innovative, well-rounded higher education and a supportive environment can give way to brilliant ideas and empathetic solutions that transform our lives and work. We look forward to seeing the extraordinary things our students will go on to achieve, and have no doubt they will leave a lasting impression on the creative and design industries.”
The university serves as a launchpad, priming the next generation of innovators for success. By catering to a skillset rapidly becoming pivotal in the future landscape of work and innovation, DIDI’s deeply embedded and design-centric ethos aligns perfectly with the emirate’s status as a global hub for creative talent. The creative and cultural industries also serve as keystones of future economic growth as outlined in the 10-year National Strategy for Cultural and Creative Industries and the Dubai Creative Economy Strategy.
Dubai has maintained its standing as the global leader in attracting greenfield foreign direct investment projects in creative industries, reinforced by a comprehensive and forward-thinking framework designed to strengthen the emirate’s investment and creative landscape. The framework focuses on attracting new creative talent and companies, further strengthening Dubai’s status as a hub for innovation and creativity.