Khalifa University of Science and Technology has partnered with Wajeb Volunteering Association to expand structured volunteering opportunities for students across community service, healthcare, technology and environmental programmes.The memorandum of understanding was signed in Abu Dhabi on Thursday by Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa bin Mohamed Al Nahyan, vice-chairman of Wajeb Volunteering Association’s board of directors, and Professor Ebrahim Al Hajri, president of Khalifa University.
The agreement will connect students with Wajeb’s community programmes and enable them to apply academic knowledge to practical social challenges. Volunteer activities will be matched, where possible, with students’ disciplines and professional interests, creating opportunities in science, engineering, healthcare, sustainability and other priority sectors.
Participation will be recognised through structured co-curricular arrangements, with volunteer hours incorporated into broader student development programmes. The approach is intended to build leadership, teamwork and communication skills while encouraging students to play a more active role in community life.
“This partnership with Wajeb Volunteering Association reflects our commitment to shaping graduates who are not only technically proficient but deeply invested in the communities they serve,” Al Hajri said.
He said meaningful volunteering could strengthen empathy, leadership and national purpose alongside academic and technical competence. The university sees community engagement as an important part of preparing graduates for careers that increasingly require social awareness as well as specialised knowledge.
Sheikh Mohammed said university students represented a central pillar of the country’s future and should be given opportunities to participate directly in national development. He highlighted the importance of establishing volunteering as a sustained practice rather than an occasional activity linked only to major campaigns or public events.
The partnership comes as Abu Dhabi records growing participation in organised voluntary work. Registered volunteering activity in the emirate exceeded two million hours during 2025, with about 30,000 registered volunteers taking part in 3,394 opportunities. The estimated economic value of their contribution surpassed Dh146 million.
That represented a marked expansion from 2024, when 1.7 million volunteer hours were recorded. Programmes covered healthcare, education, environmental protection, sports, social support and assistance for senior citizens, illustrating a shift towards more specialised forms of community participation.
Wajeb is a licensed public-benefit organisation that develops and implements volunteer initiatives, particularly in social and cultural fields. Its work includes partnerships with government bodies, educational institutions and community organisations, allowing volunteers to participate in programmes through approved channels.
The new arrangement gives Khalifa University access to that network while providing Wajeb with a pool of students trained in advanced technical and scientific disciplines. The partners are expected to identify assignments where students can make measurable contributions instead of carrying out only general support duties.
Engineering students, for example, could assist initiatives involving energy efficiency, accessibility or technical assessment. Healthcare and life-sciences students may support awareness campaigns and preventive-health programmes, while environmental specialists could participate in conservation, waste reduction and sustainability projects.
Such skills-based volunteering has gained prominence as institutions seek to improve both the social impact of unpaid work and the value it provides to participants. Universities are increasingly treating volunteering as an extension of experiential learning, particularly where students can connect classroom concepts with real community needs.
Khalifa University already includes community engagement within its student-support framework. Undergraduate community-service requirements have been designed to expose students to training, practical experiences and volunteering activities during their studies.
The partnership also follows the university’s rise to 147th place in the QS World University Rankings 2027, making it the first UAE university to enter the global top 150. Its petroleum engineering programme was ranked sixth worldwide in the 2026 subject rankings, reflecting its strong focus on energy, technology and applied research.
Linking volunteer opportunities to those academic strengths could broaden the contribution students make beyond conventional charity work. It may also help participating organisations gain access to specialist knowledge that would otherwise be costly or difficult to obtain.
The agreement aligns with wider efforts to make volunteering a measurable part of education and civic participation. A national initiative launched this year aims to generate one million volunteer hours through the involvement of pupils, parents and schools, with qualifying activities recorded through the national volunteering platform.
Under the Khalifa University-Wajeb framework, the partners will develop appropriate programmes, coordinate student participation and track completed hours. They will also seek to ensure assignments are properly supervised and connected to defined community objectives.
Volunteer involvement will remain dependent on programme availability, student interests and operational requirements. The emphasis, however, will be on sustained participation and assignments that build capabilities rather than one-off attendance.
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