Sultan Bin Ahmed announces Jawaher Al Qasimi Centre in Indonesia
- Last updated: September 20, 2026 | 13:31
Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and Humanitarian Envoy of The Big Heart Foundation, announced the establishment of the “Jawaher Al Qasimi Humanitarian Innovation Centre” at Universitas Gadjah Mada in the Yogyakarta region of the Republic of Indonesia.
The centre will serve as a permanent multidisciplinary platform linking academic knowledge, research and innovation with field-based humanitarian expertise, and transforming them into practical solutions that can be tested, developed and implemented, contributing to improving the lives of communities.
The establishment of the centre comes through a partnership between The Big Heart Foundation, NAMA Women Advancement Establishment (NAMA) and Universitas Gadjah Mada, with total funding of $1.6 million, comprising $1 million from The Big Heart Foundation, $500,000 from NAMA Women Advancement Establishment and $100,000 from Universitas Gadjah Mada.
In a speech delivered during the signing ceremony for the centre’s establishment agreement, H.H. the Humanitarian Envoy of The Big Heart Foundation stressed that universities play a pivotal role in the advancement of societies by educating generations, developing knowledge and broadening understanding of the challenges facing the world.
Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed noted that the true value of knowledge is realised when it extends beyond the walls of academic institutions to serve people, respond to their needs and contribute to building better lives. This is an approach shared by the Emirate of Sharjah with academic and humanitarian institutions.
Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed explained that investment in people, education and culture has long been a key pillar of Sharjah’s journey, under the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, alongside the humanitarian efforts led by his wife, H.H. Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Sharjah Family and Community Council, which place human dignity and the provision of opportunities at the heart of her efforts.
He noted that the establishment of the “Jawaher Al Qasimi Humanitarian Innovation Centre” at Universitas Gadjah Mada is an extension and embodiment of these values.
Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed the Humanitarian Envoy of The Big Heart Foundation pointed out that the establishment of the centre builds on the existing partnership between NAMA and Universitas Gadjah Mada through the “Jawaher Fund for the Advancement of Women’s Education”, affiliated with NAMA. The centre will support women wishing to pursue postgraduate studies.
Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed stressed that the establishment of a centre for humanitarian innovation through joint efforts by NAMA and The Big Heart Foundation reflects the need to bring together academic knowledge, humanitarian expertise and community realities within a single system, amid the growing interconnectedness of humanitarian and development challenges, including food security and livelihoods, climate change and resilience, women’s empowerment, and child wellbeing.
Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed explained that the centre aims to strengthen the link between knowledge, humanitarian innovation and community needs by gaining a deeper understanding of realities on the ground, exploring the underlying causes of existing challenges, and transforming knowledge and research into practical and effective solutions.
Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed expressed his aspiration for the centre, in cooperation with Universitas Gadjah Mada, to establish a platform bringing together academic expertise and the needs of communities and their members, while continuing to develop solutions to humanitarian and development issues in the Republic of Indonesia, across Southeast Asia and beyond, achieving tangible and sustainable results.
Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed concluded his speech by stressing that the centre will work with Universitas Gadjah Mada to establish a platform connecting academic expertise with the needs of communities and their members. This will help transform great ideas into outcomes that fulfil the purpose of extensive research and give humanitarian and development efforts sustainable value.
Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed also expressed his thanks and appreciation to the entities that contributed to establishing the centre and this humanitarian partnership.
Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed the Humanitarian Envoy of The Big Heart Foundation witnessed the signing of the agreement establishing the “Jawaher Al Qasimi Humanitarian Innovation Centre”. The agreement was signed by Mariam Al Hammadi, Member of the Advisory Board of The Big Heart Foundation and Director General of NAMA Women Advancement Establishment, and Dr Danang Hadmoko, Vice Rector of Universitas Gadjah Mada for Research, Business Development and Partnerships.
Dr Ova Emilia, Rector of Universitas Gadjah Mada, delivered a speech in which she stressed that His Highness’s visit, accompanied by his delegation, to the university represents an important occasion to strengthen bonds of friendship and partnership between the institutions and reflects the shared commitment to creating a positive and sustainable impact on the lives of communities.
She expressed her appreciation to all partners for the trust they had placed in the university, noting that this partnership goes beyond institutional cooperation or support to form a shared journey based on values, mutual respect and an ambition to improve the lives of communities, particularly the most in need.
She explained that the university, as Indonesia’s oldest national university, places community service at the heart of its mission and seeks, through education, scientific research and innovation, to contribute to finding practical solutions to the challenges facing communities.
The Rector of Universitas Gadjah Mada noted that this mission aligns with the vision shared by the university and its partner institutions in the fields of education, women’s and youth empowerment, strengthening community resilience, supporting social inclusion and sustainable development.
She highlighted the university’s key programmes that enable students and academics to work directly with communities across Indonesia and contribute to addressing issues related to education, health, livelihoods and environmental sustainability, in addition to strengthening disaster resilience and social development, through a system of field engagements and outreach activities that has exceeded 10,000 cases.
Emilia stressed that the university looks forward to leveraging this extensive community network to support future humanitarian initiatives, enabling research outputs, innovations and humanitarian programmes to be implemented, tested and scaled up to reach different communities across Indonesia.
She noted that the signing of the cooperation agreement represents an important milestone and the beginning of a long-term partnership in humanitarian action, social innovation, education, scientific research and sustainable development.
She expressed her hope that the partnership would contribute to developing high-quality initiatives and achieving a tangible and sustainable impact on the lives of communities and those most in need.
Dr Danang Hadmoko, Vice Rector of the university for Research, Business Development and Partnerships, gave a visual presentation highlighting partnership initiatives between NAMA Women Advancement Establishment and Universitas Gadjah Mada, focusing on the “Jawaher Fund for the Advancement of Women’s Education” and its coverage of financial obligations and tuition fees for female students accepted into postgraduate programmes.
The presentation also reviewed the first cohort, which comprised three female students selected from among 136 applicants. The students gave a brief account of their efforts and the impact of the support provided by the university’s partners.
The presentation also covered the field and operational components of the new cooperation, including a social innovation incubator and a centre for transforming innovations into inclusive community projects, covering support for women farmers, rice production, waste management and community nutrition.
Upon his arrival, Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed Al Qasimi toured the Innovation and Creativity Centre at Universitas Gadjah Mada, where he viewed some of the activities taking place in the university’s dedicated events and training hall.
Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed listened to an explanation of the university’s key academic programmes and also visited the university library, which houses numerous books and publications that students use to develop their culture and knowledge and provides them with sources and references for the research they undertake during their studies.
He then visited the site of the headquarters of the “Jawaher Al Qasimi Humanitarian Innovation Centre”, which the university will begin preparing in the coming period.
The centre aims to develop more effective and sustainable solutions to humanitarian and development challenges by combining academic knowledge with field expertise, building applicable and scalable models that contribute to empowering communities, strengthening their ability to address challenges and improving their livelihoods in the long term.
It is also envisaged that the centre will develop in the future into a platform for knowledge and humanitarian innovation in Southeast Asia and beyond.
The agreement includes the allocation of an investment endowment fund to ensure sustainable financial flows, with its proceeds supporting the programmes of the “Jawaher Al Qasimi Humanitarian Innovation Centre”.
The centre will pursue its objectives through four integrated strategic tracks, including supporting multidisciplinary research and policy studies; hosting researchers; launching innovation challenges and humanitarian project incubators; developing and field-testing solutions and building evidence of their impact and effectiveness; as well as public engagement, community dialogues, forums, youth leadership programmes, awareness initiatives, social projects and economic empowerment.
The centre will operate through two integrated platforms within the Universitas Gadjah Mada system.
The first will be a main headquarters hosting research and cooperation activities and community events, and showcasing humanitarian initiatives and beneficiaries’ products. The university will provide administrative and academic support and make its facilities and experts available.
The second will be the “Living Humanitarian Lab”, for which the university has allocated approximately two hectares for agricultural innovation, applied experimentation and community engagement, supporting food security, sustainable agriculture and community empowerment.
The centre will respond to a range of interconnected humanitarian and development challenges facing communities, including food security, climate change, livelihoods and economic opportunities, disaster risk reduction, maternal and child wellbeing, as well as inequalities affecting vulnerable groups and communities with less access to services and opportunities.
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