RAND Corporation Opens New Office in Abu Dhabi

The RAND Corporation has opened a new office in Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates, as part of a strategic effort to deliver research and analysis to decisionmakers in the Middle East, RAND President and CEO James A. Thomson announced today.

"This new office will bring the experience and expertise of nearly 800 RAND researchers and 400 affiliated analysts to the issues of concern in the United Arab Emirates," Thomson said. "We are excited to be expanding RAND's global presence and impact."

In February, RAND entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Centre of Excellence for Applied Research & Training (CERT) in Abu Dhabi, to help RAND establish a presence in the United Arab Emirates and to begin helping governments and industry sectors in the United Arab Emirates to address a broad range of policy issues. The agreement was signed under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, minister of higher education and scientific research, chairman of CERT and chancellor of the Higher Colleges of Technology.

An inaugural celebration is scheduled at 10 a.m., UTC/GMT + 4, on Dec. 14, at the new RAND office in the CERT Technology Park on Muroor Street in Abu Dhabi. Sheikh Nahayan and a number of CERT and RAND representatives will attend, including Michael Rich, RAND executive vice president, and Hanine Salem, associate director of RAND Education, who will head the new office.

"We are pleased to have RAND with us at the CERT Technology Park," said Dr. Tayeb Kamali, vice chancellor of the Higher Colleges of Technology and Group CEO of CERT. "I am confident that having the expertise and experience of RAND will help public institutions in the United Arab Emirates develop better public policy in all key sectors vital to the economy and prosperity of the country."

"There is no substitute for having RAND researchers living and working in the region," Rich said. "Having an office in Abu Dhabi will allow us to partner more effectively with CERT and, in the end, produce better analyses and policy recommendations for the United Arab Emirates."

RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND focuses on the issues that matter most, such as health, education, national security, international affairs, law and business, the environment, and more.

The North American locations of RAND include Santa Monica, Calif., the home of its headquarters campus and the Pardee RAND Graduate School; Arlington, Virginia; Pittsburgh, Penn.; Boston, Mass.; and a representative office in Mexico City, Mexico. The RAND Gulf States Policy Institute has offices in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Jackson, Mississippi. RAND Europe is located in Cambridge, UK, and Brussels, Belgium. The RAND-Qatar Policy Institute is in Doha, Qatar.