Partnership with Aga Khan University and Aga Khan Development Network

(AKU) and its parent organization the (AKDN) are important partners of the ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥. AKU is based primarily in Pakistan and East Africa and collaborates with the U of A in the areas of health sciences, education, the arts, and libraries. Student activities have included U of A student participation in internships at AKU.

AKU and the ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ share a strong commitment to the public good and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The AKDN network also includes the (UCA), a unique institution established with the support of the governments of Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan. U of A has sponsored student agreements in place with both AKU and UCA.

In addition, the ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ has received graduates of Aga Khan High Schools and Aga Khan Academies, including some through the four-year ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ Global Citizenship Scholarship designated for graduates of the Academies.

A highlight of the relationship between AKDN and the ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ is the 4.8-hectare Aga Khan Garden, ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥, opened in 2018 at U of A’s Botanic Garden just south of Edmonton during a visit by His Late Highness Aga Khan IV. The spectacular garden, which integrates a contemporary interpretation of Islamic landscape architecture in a northern climate, was developed through the generous support of His Late Highness—a gift in excess of $25 million. It is a symbol of the ongoing partnership between the ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and AKDN—a collaboration that has fostered intellectual, cultural and education exchange for over a decade.

The Ismaili community in Edmonton is actively involved in supporting connections between the ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and AKDN, in particular through the Garden.

In 2009, of law from the U of A and, in the presence of ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥’s premier, signed a memorandum of understanding establishing cooperation with the ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥. In 2019, the ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ received a visit by senior members of AKU including their provost, Dr. Carl Amrhein, to discuss further cooperation.