The institution will be established in the Oman capital by a group of Omani business leaders.
Muscat University is to be established as a private, non-profit university with a particular focus on entrepreneurship. As its name suggests, the university will open its doors in Muscat, the country’s capital.
The university will accept foundation programme students from September 2016, followed by undergraduate students from September 2017, and is currently planning its structures, facilities and staffing with that aim. Isis meanwhile will develop the framework of the university, advise on positioning in the regional context and develop on implementation plan for academic programmes.
Isis will also develop an implementation plan for research and innovation together with an extensive knowledge transfer programme. It will guide the overall project plan, with project delivery, running in parallel with construction of the new campus, forecast to take approximately three years.
Isis Innovation, Oxford University’s wholly owned technology transfer office, has been hired as a lead consultant for the project. The new university’s aim will be to produce graduates who have the necessary skillset needed to assist the growth of the private sector, with a curriculum specifically designed around the requirements of that sector. The long-term ambition is to create a positive impact on the employment growth with the Sultanate.
Juma bin Ali al Juma, chairman of the founders’ committee, said: “The vision for Muscat University is to create a centre of excellence, where academic achievement directly contributes to the development of an entrepreneurial culture in Oman and a positive force for the expansion of the private sector. We believe that these foundations will enable the university to ensure that the next generation of Omani youth is academically equipped to face the challenges of the future. We look forward to working with Isis Innovation who are global leaders in the fields of technology commercialisation and entrepreneurship education and who will help us to support the academic vision we have set out.”