HERIOT-WATT University’s Dubai campus has embarked on a major expansion with the ground-breaking for its new campus. The expansion is set to treble its capacity and significantly extend its course offering, in order to meet increased regional demand.

As a part of a Dh200-million ($54-million) new project, the 300,000-sq-ft state-of-the-art campus will be built in a modern and eco-friendly fashion, extending the 1,500-student campus to accommodate a further 3,000 enrolments. A quarter of the campus’ total investment is being supported through the partnership with Eikon International Holding, which works with select universities to advance graduate and under-graduate programmes.
The campus will provide student accommodation (with associated food-court and banking facilities), a multi-purpose auditorium with capacity for 800 people, well-equipped engineering laboratories, ICT labs with video-conferencing facilities and world-class fashion and design studios. Smart card and fingerprint technologies are also set to be used.
Upon completion of the new campus – set to open in late 2011 – the university plans to expand its course offering with a wide range of subjects including architecture, interior design, logistics and supply chain management, applied psychology, food science, safety and health, financial risk management, actuarial science, graphic design, multimedia, international law and computer sciences.
The building site for the new campus will itself provide a learning experience for construction, engineering and design students who will take part in site visits in order to gain valuable insight into the construction process, as it evolves.
The ground-breaking ceremony was attended students, alumni, teaching staff and other senior officials.
At the ceremony, Brian Smart, executive dean and head of the Dubai Campus, said: “It was a culmination of a five-year dream that began in the sand.”
Steve Chapman, principal and vice-chancellor: “This is a very special milestone for our Dubai campus and for our university as a whole. Some 45 per cent of the students who are awarded Scottish degrees overseas obtain that degree from Heriot-Watt University and our Dubai campus is the jewel in the crown of our international activity.
“This new development, which is being undertaken in partnership with our infrastructure provider Eikon International,will be purpose built to support our expanding programmes and will enhance the quality of the learning and teaching experience.”