DUBAI: In a landmark development in international academic collaboration, the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A), India’s top-ranked business school, is set to launch its first-ever international campus in Dubai.
The move comes as part of a broader UAE-India partnership marked by the signing of eight strategic agreements across sectors including education, healthcare, logistics, and maritime services. The announcements were made during the official visit of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defence of the UAE, to India.
The high-level signing ceremony took place at a special event hosted by Dubai Chambers in Mumbai, with the Crown Prince and India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, in attendance. Among the strategic accords signed was a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) and IIM-A, setting the stage for a world-class educational institution in the UAE.
IIM-A Dubai campus
The IIM-A Dubai campus, to be developed in two phases, is envisioned as a global hub of excellence in higher education, skill development, and innovation. During Phase One, the institute will operate from a dedicated space within Dubai International Academic City (DIAC), launching its flagship one-year full-time MBA programme by September 2025. In Phase Two, IIM-A will be allotted land for a permanent campus, which is expected to be fully operational by 2029.
Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, and Professor Bharat Bhasker, Director of IIM-A, formalised the agreement during the signing event. The new campus will contribute to the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 by cultivating a globally competitive innovation ecosystem and developing leadership talent for the region.
The initiative also aligns with Dubai’s broader strategy to position itself as a centre for academic excellence and innovation, offering students in the Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia direct access to one of Asia’s most respected business schools.
Expanding reach
The establishment of IIM-A in Dubai marks the first international expansion by any of the Indian Institutes of Management. Currently, India is home to 21 IIMs, many of which are consistently ranked among the world’s top 100 business schools. Alumni from these institutes include global business leaders such as former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi and ex-Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Raghuram Rajan.
In addition to IIM-A, India’s Minister Piyush Goyal also announced plans for the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) to set up operations in Dubai. While full details on the IIFT campus are expected soon, the initiative further reflects the growing synergy between the two nations in the sphere of education.
The new Dubai campus announcement was first revealed by Professor Bharat Bhasker during IIM-A’s 60th convocation held at the Louis Kahn Plaza in March. The event also saw the inauguration of the Madan Mohanka Centre of Excellence in Case Method of Learning, underscoring the institute’s continuing emphasis on innovative teaching approaches.
The launch of IIM-A’s Dubai campus follows similar initiatives in the region, such as the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) establishing its first international campus in Abu Dhabi in 2024. That campus began offering undergraduate programmes in computer science and energy engineering for the 2024–2025 academic year.
Meanwhile, Dubai students will also benefit from new academic exchange programmes with India’s top-tier institutions. A separate MoU was signed between the Dubai Medical University (DMU) and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), facilitating research collaboration and student exchange. The initiative includes short-term observer postings and visiting faculty exchanges, with a focus on fields such as infectious diseases, metabolic disorders, and digital transformation in healthcare education.