Page - 177 - in Radical Solutions and Open Science - An Open Approach to Boost Higher Education

11 TheResponseofHigherEducation… 185 to understand the implications and opportunities for higher education. This can be achieved through thecreationof researchplatforms, andextendedcollaborations. Through collaborations and partnerships, the University also expects to create awareness about the future prospects of Smart Cities and serve as a platform to exchangeideasandlearningthroughinternationalcasestudiesandbestpractice.The University is actively engaged in promoting a smarterBahrain via its consultancy, andgeneratingideasandcontinuity, intheformofpublications,andsolvingindustry problems. TheUniversity is preparing its graduate towork in current and futuremarkets. Recently, thestudentsparticipatedinnumerouslocalandglobalhackathons,compe- titions,projects,etc.Alsoin2019,theKingdomofBahrainhostedAmazonWebSer- vicesSummit.TheSummit includedthefirstartificial intelligencehackathon,where 26 students from theUniversity competed to provide solutions to real-world chal- lenges.Thefocus in theparticipation in thesekindsofcompetitionsandhackathons is todevelopdigital skills for the students and improve their ability to innovate and invent. 11.6 DiscussionandConclusion In 2016, theUniversity ofBahrain embarked on challengingTransformationPlan. ThePlanwasdeveloped to improve the impactof theUniversity locally, regionally, and internationally.Corresponding, theUniversity identifiedseveralkeyfactors that willcontributetothesuccessfulimplementationoftheTransformationPlan,namely: • TransformedGovernance: in its pursue of excellence, the University need to modernized the decision-making and governance in theUniversity.A reviewof itsorganizational structurewasconducted tooptimizeandstreamlineprocesses. • ResearchExcellence: theUniversity focusednotonly to improve thenumberof publicationsandcitation,butalsoontheimpactofresearchlocally,regionally,and internationally.TheUniversityestablishedresearchpartnershipwithinternational partnerstobuildthenationalcapacityintopicssuchas:renewableenergyandwater security.The result of this approachwould lead to establishing theUniversity of Bahrainasaflagshipcenterofexcellenceinglocalresearchchallengesandtopics. • PromotionReform:academicpromotionislinkedtomanyaspectsofinstitutional excellence. TheUniversity improved the planning, transparency of the process, and awareness of facultymembers of the criteria.This resulted in improving the focus on individual faculty members and collectively improve the institutional output inareas related topromotioncriteria. • FinancialSustainability: the sustainabilityof theoperations and servicesof the Universityishighlylinkedwithitsabilitytoself-generateincomefromadiverseset ofsources.Thisisenvisagedtograduallyimprovethefundingprojects, initiatives, activities, services, and academic programs when revenues are re-invested and systemicallyused.