Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence joins UNICON executive education network

Abu Dhabi-based Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) has joined UNICON, the global consortium of university-based executive education providers, adding its professional learning arm, The Academy, to a network of more than 120 institutions, as reported by Edtech Innovation Hub.

The membership was announced on 1 June 2026 and gives The Academy access to an international executive education network at a time when organisations are seeking structured training on AI adoption, leadership and workforce transformation.

UNICON was founded more than 50 years ago and counts among its members Carnegie Mellon University, Oxford, Cambridge, Stanford, Harvard, Tsinghua University and London Business School. Membership is selective, with institutions expected to demonstrate academic quality and measurable impact in executive learning.

The Academy extends MBZUAI's AI research and graduate education work into professional learning for executives, policymakers and organisations navigating how AI affects decision-making, institutional culture and workforce planning. Its programmes include leadership courses, executive briefings, customised organisational training and international modules focused on AI adoption and transformation.

Spring Fu, Managing Director of The Academy, said the membership carries both recognition and responsibility. "To stand alongside the world's most respected executive education providers affirms the rigor of what we have built at The Academy in just a few short years," she said. "As part of the world's first AI-focused graduate University, we bring a distinctive perspective to executive education at a moment when leaders everywhere are grappling with how AI will reshape their organizations."

She added that the membership creates a platform for active contribution to the global executive education community. "We look forward to learning from our new peers, sharing our expertise, and advancing the global conversation on what leadership in the AI era demands," Fu said.

MBZUAI said the membership will support The Academy's existing work with institutions and leadership teams across the United Arab Emirates while opening access to international benchmarking and potential programme partnerships.

Read the full details of MBZUAI's UNICON membership and The Academy's executive education strategy in the full article.