His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, President of the University of Sharjah (UOS), and Chairman of the Tamayuz Institutional Excellence Award, witnessed on Thursday morning the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a knowledge empowerment programme in institutional excellence between the University of Sharjah and the Tamayuz Award, at his office at the university.
Enhancing excellence and quality across institutions
His Highness emphasised the importance of the award and its role in supporting participating institutions, noting that recommendations from a previous brainstorming session have been adopted and are being implemented to further develop the award and enhance quality levels. He added that while all entities possess excellence, the award highlights the best among them and fosters a competitive environment that drives continuous improvement.
He also urged participating entities to benefit from reports of the first edition to identify areas for improvement and to nominate employees for training programmes that support excellence and quality files, wishing all success and expressing appreciation to supporting entities for their role in achieving the award’s objectives.
MoU signing and objectives
The MoU was signed by Hassan Yaqoub Al Mansouri, Director of the Tamayuz Award, and Prof. Esameldin Agamy, Chancellor of the University of Sharjah.
The agreement, witnessed by Sheikh Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Deputy Chairman of the Petroleum Department, and several senior officials, aims to develop human capital and qualify specialists in excellence fields. This will be achieved through specialised training programmes, including the “Institutional Excellence Diploma” for teams and the “Job Excellence Programme” for individuals, enabling employees to build and submit excellence portfolios in line with approved evaluation standards.
Strategic partnership for sustainable excellence
The MoU outlines the programme’s scope while allowing for future development initiatives through separate agreements, ensuring continued collaboration. This step represents a key foundation for a strategic partnership aimed at improving institutional performance and embedding a culture of excellence as a sustainable practice.
Officials highlight impact of partnership
Hassan Al Mansouri expressed appreciation to the award’s chairman for his continued support, noting that it drives institutions toward achieving higher performance levels. He added that the MoU is one of the outcomes of the brainstorming session, which emphasised training and development, and thanked supporting entities for fostering cooperation between public and private sectors.
Prof. Esameldin Agamy highlighted the importance of the partnership in moving institutions from theory to practical application, strengthening teamwork, institutional methodologies, and sustainable performance through training and qualification of employees.
Esameldin Agamy praised the award for its diversity of specialisations, describing this as a key strength and a positive opportunity for participating institutions. He affirmed that it has begun to yield results through training and qualification programmes, while fostering a constructive competitive environment among entities, and wished everyone success in achieving the award’s objectives.
Excellence as a culture and capability
Mona Al Ghawi, General Coordinator of the Tamayuz Award, stressed that the knowledge empowerment programme goes beyond training, reflecting the principle that excellence is built on knowledge, expertise, and continuous development. She noted that institutional distinction today depends on the ability to learn, adapt, and build internal capabilities, rather than resources alone.
Mona Al Ghawi explained that the Institutional Excellence Award represents more than just an evaluation framework; it is a real driver that pushes institutions to rethink, raise their level of ambition, and transform excellence into a sustainable daily practice. She noted that the goal is not to achieve temporary results, but to build flexible, well-prepared institutions capable of adapting with confidence.
Training programmes and outcomes
Dr Asmaa Nusairi, Director of the Center for Continuing Education and Professional Development, delivered a presentation outlining details of the training programmes the centrewill provide to employees of entities participating in the Tamayuz Institutional Excellence Award.
The Job Excellence training programme aims to enable employees to transform their individual achievements into measurable and assessable institutional impact in line with excellence award standards. The programme spans 40 training hours, focusing on target categories and their criteria. She explained that it provides participants with a comprehensive understanding of evaluation requirements, methods of documenting achievements, and presenting them in a professional manner, while enhancing their readiness to compete through a practical application experience that includes simulating the roles of both applicant and evaluator, conducting workshops to analyse achievements, and ultimately preparing a complete job nomination file.
Meanwhile, the Institutional Excellence Professional Diploma targets excellence teams within organisations and personnel responsible for leading excellence initiatives internally. It aims to empower them to manage and implement institutional excellence standards in a systematic and sustainable manner. The programme is offered over a total of 120 training hours, covering the five categories associated with the Institutional Excellence Award. It also includes an applied project implemented within the workplace, contributing to building the capabilities of excellence teams and achieving a direct and sustainable impact from the training outcomes.
