The agreement gives Alcatel-Lucent staff access to the university’s full portfolio of business master’s programmes, including the Global MBA and MSc Financial Management, plus executive education short courses delivered on campus in Manchester. In return, students at the Dubai branch, all of whom are working professionals enrolled in part-time programmes, gain access to Alcatel-Lucent intensive training, industry certifications, mentorship from the company’s technical staff, and guest lectures.
The University of Manchester has operated in the UAE since 2006. Its Dubai branch has built corporate partnerships across professional services, multinationals, and regional businesses, and the Alcatel-Lucent tie-up follows that pattern. Research collaboration and curriculum co-development are noted as potential downstream outcomes of the MoU, though both remain exploratory at this stage.
“Our collaboration will help bring industry and academia together, ensuring that academic insight is translated into real-world impact while industry challenges inform future research and curricula” — Sandrine El Khodry, EVP Global Sales and Marketing, Alcatel-Lucent
“There are also benefits for our own regional community of working professionals who will be able to network and connect with a global leader in digital communications and networking” — Randa Bessiso, Founding Director and CEO Middle East, The University of Manchester-Dubai
Alcatel-Lucent, headquartered in France with over 3,000 business partners globally, positions itself as a provider of cloud communications and networking infrastructure. The company operates under licence from Nokia, which holds the Alcatel-Lucent trademark. The agreement focuses on people investment at a time when AI-fluency expectations are reshaping what employers need from management hires.
To stay across the latest in cloud, AI and enterprise tech analysis from Compare the Cloud, subscribe to our weekly newsletter at https://www.comparethecloud.net/newsletter
