Educational Initiatives
Education and healthcare form the core of development initiatives lead by Investment & Development Office (IDO), taken under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi.
RAK Education-EDRAK (PJSC)
Established as a holding company, envisions nurturing a cluster of top quality educational institutions in all spheres of education including primary, secondary and tertiary, education, that shall facilitate development of the entire region. EDRAK will be the first educational company in the UAE having both a strong regional and sector focus. 554 acres has been endowed by the RAK Government dedicated for current and future health and education related developments. Sitting just outside the hustle bustle of the city, located close by the Emirates Highway bordering Umm Al Quwain, the land is being developed to serve as the nucleus for globally acclaimed Education and Health institutions. The site shall house all of the projects mentioned below.
EDRAK Current Projects
Mason RAK is one of the flagship projects of the company and first of many others yet to come.
George Mason University - RAK (Mason-RAK)
Mason-RAK is the first overseas branch campus of George Mason University- Fairfax, Virginia, USA. Mason-RAK commenced activities in September 2006, and offers undergraduate programs in various disciplines such as Engineering, Biology, Business etc. It is currently located in a temporary campus outside the city centre, near the mountains.
Mason-RAK will move to its permanent state-of-the-art campus in 2008 (phase I) with plans to accommodate up to 4,000 students when completed. The project when completed in 2010, will have approximately 1.3 Mn sq. ft. of academic, student support and staff & student residential facilities. The anticipated total capital outlay is AED 238 million.
Healthcare Initiatives
Multi Specialty Hospital
Methodist International (MI) in collaboration with IDO is establishing a Multi- Specialty Hospital in Ras Al Khaimah. The hospital is scheduled for commencement of operations in 2008 and shall offer a comprehensive range of services in 5 key specialties: cardiology, neurology, urology, orthopedics, oncology, and obesity treatments. The hospital envisages providing a bridge to American quality of care, through its agreement with MI to develop and manage the hospital.
Methodist International, is the international arm for Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas USA, that is dedicated to building healthcare capacity through transfer of knowledge and best practices to the global community.
Nutrition and Wellness Center & Educational Programs
The Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy(FSNSP) at Tufts University, in collaboration with the IDO, will establish an Enhanced Nutrition and Wellness Center, close to the Multi-Specialty Hospital. The Center for Nutrition & Wellness will offer a combination of services in nutrition & wellness through targeted health interventions and deliver cutting edge care. The services offered will be based on an individualized nutrition and wellness approach that emanates from state-of- the-art research and clinical practice.
FSNSP is a premier, world-respected leader in teaching and training, relating to the science, policy and applications of nutrition knowledge. Through the proposed collaboration, FSNSP shall also develop and offer a one-year Masters program in Nutrition, coupled, with a series of certificate courses on a wide range of topics applicable to professional development in medical, health and other domains.