Scottish internationalism: Salmond welcomes Heriot-Watt’s Dubai campus

A Scottish university has opened a new £35 million campus in Dubai aimed at the United Arab Emirates job market.

Heriot-Watt University, which earlier this year unveiled a global strategy that it hopes will double its income from international activities over the next seven years, has operated in the Arab emirate since 2006.

The university said the new campus would double its capacity to 4,500 students and over 100 staff.

Alex Salmond, the First Minister of Scotland, joined the university’s principal, Steve Chapman, and students, staff and dignitaries to officially open the campus.

Mr Salmond told them that the campus would “showcase the advantages of gaining an education in a Scottish university and will provide thousands of students with the skills to become future leaders, managers and innovators to create a stronger business world”.

Heriot-Watt has a growing global presence - its first overseas initiative was a distance-learning MBA programme launched in 1990, and it now has a network of about 50 overseas partners.

The university initially opened its Dubai campus in 2006 as part of Dubai International Academic City, offering courses in business, management and ICT.

The expansion enabled by the new campus will allow for the development of new degree programmes with the United Arab Emirates job market in mind, the university said.

Professor Chapman described Heriot-Watt as “Scotland’s international university”.

“This opening demonstrates our absolute ambition and continued vision for providing the very best in high quality and relevant Scottish higher education in the region, in world-class facilities which will equip students with the skills, knowledge and drive they need to create a great future,” he added.