Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU) was established in 2002 under the presidency of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai, United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.).
HBMSU is the first e-learning institution to be accredited by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. The University is committed to shaping the future of education and learning through innovative solutions and is driven by widening access to educational opportunity in the region. It is dedicated to instigating a culture of quality excellence and research through e-learning in the Arab world.
Dr. Mansoor Al Awar, founding Chancellor of the University sees online education in the Arab world as a primary vehicle to promote the integration of OER in mainstream education. Underpinned by this vision, HBMSU is designed as an open system. The University also contributed to the formulation of the UNESCO 2012 Paris OER Declaration which calls on governments to release education materials funded from public money under open licenses for the benefit of society. Promoting the freedom of information is a core value of HBMSU's education philosophy.