British monarch King Charles III visits Heriot-Watt University Dubai

King Charles III visited Heriot-Watt University Dubai’s campus in Dubai Knowledge Park on November 30. He was joined by Scotland’s First Minister, Humza Yousaf.

Richard Williams, principal, and vice-chancellor of Heriot-Watt University, said: “We are deeply honoured by the visit of HM King Charles III to our campus in Dubai.

“Heriot-Watt was the first British university to open a campus in Dubai back in 2005 and since then, we have grown to become the largest international university in the UAE.

“When our university was founded more than 200 years ago, it set out a clear purpose to benefit society by making education accessible, inclusive, and industry-focused – helping our students and academics to have a positive impact on the world.

“We are committed to taking a global lead on sustainability and, as the UAE hosts COP28, we will be showcasing some of our deep expertise in areas including industrial decarbonisation, energy transition and sustainable logistics.

“Universities play a vital role in advancing knowledge and solutions around climate change, and we are proud to be hosting a Climate Hub here at Heriot-Watt University Dubai, to help move conversations into action.”

The King also heard outcomes from a roundtable on climate action through partnership and met with the academic leaders and students from Commonwealth universities.

Youth engagement is a key theme of the Climate Hub, and several students are participating as volunteers, and actively assisting cleantech exhibitors.

King Charles III’s visit to the university’s Climate Hub

King Charles, accompanied by Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron, visited the Heriot-Watt Climate Hub and met with several British companies.

Set up at the Dubai campus to run alongside COP28 which is being hosted by the UAE, the Climate Hub embodies Heriot-Watt’s ambition to take a distinctive lead in defining the route to global sustainability.

The university is utilising its convening power in collaboration with event partners to host a schedule of daily events that will mirror and complement the themes of COP28.

We were incredibly honoured to host His Majesty King Charles III at our @HWUDubai campus today. The King visited our CleanTech exhibition and spoke to British entrepreneurs who were showcasing their innovative climate solutions at the exhibition.#SustainableHWU #HWClimateHub pic.twitter.com/WcWvAUsMDu

— Heriot-Watt University (@HeriotWattUni) November 30, 2023

The Cleantech exhibition at Heriot-Watt Climate Hub is partly funded by the UK government. It gives exhibiting companies a chance to meet policymakers, potential investors, and industry leaders ,who are visiting the UAE for COP28.

Exhibits include the world’s first self-assembled, flat-packed solar thermal collector from the Heriot-Watt spinout company, SolarisKit.

The system reduces carbon emissions by converting solar energy into affordable hot water.

Other exhibits include Smartrawl, a robotic underwater sorting device that uses artificial intelligence to help fishing trawlers avoid wasteful fish discards and bycatch.

Read: World Environment Day: How to reduce waste and drive a circular economy