Fourth Cohort of National Experts Program to Include 25 Participants from Diverse Sectors

emirates7 - The UAE National Experts Program (NEP) today announced the selection of 25 participants for its fourth cohort, and the 12-month long training program will be led by 25 mentors, as per the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, in order to nurture a national cadre of experts in diverse fields.

H.H. Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Development and Martyrs Families, is the custodian of the fourth cohort of NEP.

His Highness said that the NEP was a principal platform for capacity building for Emirati experts in the UAE, and for enhancing their skills in areas of national priority in accordance with the futuristic development trajectories of the country. “The program will also sharpen their forward-thinking ability to achieve strategic goals in different domains,” he added.

His Highness continued: “Experts are the nucleus of progress, and their specialist skills play a pivotal role in building a bright future for the UAE. Through these, knowledge, innovation, science and inventions flourish, leading to the nation’s development in various fields, especially those that involve meeting challenges and transforming them into opportunities for the purpose of sustainable progress,” he elaborated.

His Highness highlighted that the NEP embodied the UAE’s commitment to developing minds and employing qualitative expertise to address pressing challenges to serve society and humanity, and to provide solutions and innovations for a better global future where the interplay of expertise, capabilities and competencies result in growth and prosperity for all.

His Excellency Ahmed Taleb Al Shamsi, Director of the NEP, explained that the fourth cohort consisted of an impressive group of participants and mentors, as the current one included 13 women and 12 men who were carefully selected from among approximately 1,180 applicants who were evaluated as per global competitiveness evaluation standards.

“Starting from the selection stage through the use of an advanced artificial intelligence system to identify the best 250 applicants, via the evaluation stage and the interview to the final stage under the supervision of a committee of experts, they underwent rigorous assessments. The fourth batch is full of high academic achievers, including 24% PhD holders, and 76% Master’s degree holders,” he explained.

His Excellency said that the participants will train under the experts in 25 main sectors that fall into three economic groups: economic and social development, sustainability and infrastructure. “These three groups include diverse fields such as artificial intelligence, financial services, security, defence solutions, charitable work, foreign affairs, policy-making, biodiversity, space, and food and water security. Together, these fields constitute the basic pillars for achieving the strategic goals of the UAE,” he concluded.