Signature of a specific agreement between the Institut Pasteur Paris and the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre to develop training and education programs

This cooperation aims to increase the expertise of Abu Dhabian health workers and researchers who work on public health and epidemiology.  

The agreement entails: 

• Training through graduate or post-graduate courses, by welcoming Abu Dhabi students and professionals at the Institut Pasteur teaching center, in Paris, for varying durations; a focus will be placed on training in epidemiology and public health;
• Training through research by welcoming Abu Dhabi students and professionals in the research units of the Institut Pasteur, in Paris, for periods up to several months or years (scholarships and sabbatical programs);
• The establishment of a regional and international hub for organizing and hosting short- and medium-term courses in Abu Dhabi; 
• Occasional seminars and workshops both in Abu Dhabi and Paris; 
• Support of ADPHC expertise in public health involving researchers and staff of the Institut Pasteur’s education department. 

This cooperation was signed during a visit of a delegation of ADPHC officials in Paris, including His Excellency Mattar Saeed Al Nuaimi, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre, and in presence of Her Excellency, Hend Al Otaiba, United Arab Emirates Ambassador to France. It is a result of Abu Dhabi’s growing interest and investment in high level research and education in life science, public health and epidemiology..  

On this occasion, His Excellency Mattar Saeed Al Nuaimi, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre, said, "With the support of the wise leadership, ADPHC continues its pivotal role in supporting one of the main programs for the medical field with the "UAE-France Strategic Dialogue" program. Such visit constitutes a close cooperation with the Institut Pasteur, a worldwide leading entity in infectious diseases." His Excellency added: "Such important visit has paved a space for global competitiveness, the development of scientific research and medical education in public health, and the international cooperation we aspire to for fighting communicable diseases, especially the novel ones. Moreover, a specific cooperation agreement has been signed in the field of training and building capabilities within the frame of the MoU that was entered with the institute last July in the visit of President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to the Republic of France."  

Commenting on this visit, Professor Sir Stewart Cole, President of the Institut Pasteur, said, "This cooperation serves the global project to disseminate scientific knowledge for the benefit of human health and environmental protection in full accordance with the Institut Pasteur’s founding mission”. Professor Sir Stewart Cole added: “This cooperation follows major cooperation agreements closed by France and Abu Dhabi in the fields of health, education and culture such as the partnership between the ADPHC and the AP-HP public hospital group on cardiovascular diseases prevention, the Louvre in Abu Dhabi and the Sorbonne in Abu Dhabi. It is supported and supervised by both French and Abu Dhabian authorities, in particular the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Higher Education and Research.” 

Her Excellency Hend Al Otaiba, United Arab Emirates Ambassador to France, concluded: "The UAE is mobilized now more than ever in the fight against epidemics and towards the development of treatments to address major health challenges. Through our cooperation with all our partners and with France in particular as part of the Franco-Emirati Strategic Dialogue, the UAE is working to create more efficient and sustainable health systems for the Gulf region and the world. Research and innovation are key to this approach and therefore we are very pleased with the partnership with the Institut Pasteur, a world-class health institution and global reference of medical progress, which we had the pleasure of visiting today.”