Academic Staff [Statistics] (9.4)

Total number of academic staff across all disciplines. 

Introduction: 

Academic staff serve as the backbone of AAU’s research, innovation, and teaching ecosystem. In the context of SDG 9: Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure, faculty members play a critical role in enabling applied research, designing innovative curricula, supervising capstone and industry-linked projects, developing prototypes and research outputs, and leading collaborations with national and international partners. 

The strength, size, and disciplinary diversity of AAU’s academic workforce directly impact the University’s ability to: 

• expand research productivity, 

• support industry-funded research, 

• enhance laboratory-based learning, 

• guide student innovation and spin-off development, 

• deliver interdisciplinary programs aligned with emerging technologies, 

• contribute to national industrial and technological advancement. 

Tracking the number of academic staff annually allows AAU to benchmark its research and innovation capacity, assess human-resource readiness for large-scale industrial collaborations, and demonstrate institutional growth aligned with SDG9 indicators. 

Academic Staff Classification 

To ensure alignment with THE Impact reporting standards, academic staff are classified into the following groups: 

1. Full-Time Faculty Members
   
   • Professors 
   • Associate Professors 
   • Assistant Professors 
   • Full-time lecturers and instructors 
   • Clinical and laboratory teaching staff 
   
   
2. Part-Time and Visiting Faculty
   
   • Part-time instructors supporting specialized courses 
   • Visiting academics from partner institutions 
   • Industry experts delivering applied modules 
   
   
3. Research-Affiliated Academic Staff
   
   • Academic supervisors of funded research projects 
   • Faculty leading industrial collaborations 
   • Academic mentors for student spin-offs and innovation incubation 
   
   
4. Cross-Disciplinary Staff
   
   • Faculty engaged in interdisciplinary programs (engineering + business, ICT + health, etc.) 
   • Academic staff supervising joint research labs and innovation hubs 

Impact Evaluation & Development Plan 

1. Performance Evaluation
   

   The size and expertise of AAU’s academic staff directly enhance the University’s SDG9 performance by: 

   • increasing applied research output, 
   • expanding industrial cooperation, 
   • enabling the design of industry-aligned curricula, 
   • strengthening student innovation and spin-off development, 
   • operating advanced research facilities and engineering labs, 
   • supporting national technological and industrial priorities. 

   A larger and more diverse academic workforce improves AAU’s ability to deliver high-quality programs across engineering, ICT, health sciences, business innovation, and applied sciences. 

   
   
2. Development Actions
   

   Action 1 – Strategic Hiring for Innovation-Focused Disciplines 

   Recruit faculty specializing in AI, renewable energy, EV technologies, robotics, biomedical engineering, and digital transformation. Target: +15% faculty expansion by 2027. 

   Action 2 – Strengthen Research-Affiliated Academic Positions 

   Introduce incentives for faculty leading industrial research projects. Target: Increase participation by 25% by 2026. 

   Action 3 – Visiting Scholar & Industrial Expert Program 

   Attract international researchers and industry experts for teaching and joint research. Target: 10–15 visiting experts annually. 

   Action 4 – Faculty Development & Innovation Training 

   Annual training in: 

   • intellectual property, 
   • prototype development, 
   • innovation management, 
   • industry collaboration methods. Target: 100% of faculty trained by 2027. 

   Action 5 – Interdisciplinary Research Clusters 

   Establish research clusters linking engineering, ICT, business, and health sciences. Target: Launch 4 clusters by 2026. 

   
   

Institutional Integration Summary 

AAU’s academic staff form a critical pillar of the University’s innovation infrastructure and industrial engagement strategy. Through research-driven teaching, industry-focused curricula, and leadership in applied research and prototype development, faculty members play a central role in shaping AAU’s contributions to national and regional innovation ecosystems. 

With strong support from the Sustainability & International Ranking Center (SIRC), academic faculties, and research units, AAU continues to enhance its academic capacity in alignment with SDG9 and supporting SDGs such as SDG4, SDG7, SDG8, SDG12, SDG13, and SDG17.