A high-level delegation from the Emirate of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, including representatives from the Sharjah Private Education Authority, University of Sharjah, Sharjah Department of Public Works, and Sharjah Agriculture and Livestock Authority, has spent time visiting, and meeting senior staff at, the Royal Agricultural University (RAU) this week.

The visit, which also included time spent at the University of Bristol, follows the signing in May of a Memorandum of Understanding between the RAU, the University of Bristol, and the University of Al Dhaid in Sharjah, to deliver new education and research programmes in sustainable agriculture and veterinary medicine, as well as to build research capacity and expertise to solve global challenges, such as how to grow wheat in a desert.

RAU vice-Chancellor Professor Peter McCaffery said: “We were delighted to welcome their Excellencies from Sharjah – the equivalent of our Ministers of Agriculture, Education, and Public Works – on their three-day visit to RAU this week.

“They are on a quest to produce the world’s finest wheat in the desert – and our aim is to help them do just that!

“We will be delivering our undergraduate Agricultural Sciences programme in Sharjah next year, working in collaboration with the University of Bristol who will be providing their Veterinary Medicine programme.”

The primary objective of this week’s visit was to explore areas of mutual collaboration and develop programmes for the University of Al Dhaid. By focusing on undergraduate programmes in veterinary, sustainable agriculture, zoology, and desert science, all three institutions hope to cultivate innovative academic offerings that align with the evolving needs of the global agricultural landscape.