text: University of Birmingham to unveil transformational sustainable initiatives for its new Dubai campus - Innovation Gateway
  University of Birmingham to unveil transformational sustainable initiatives for its new Dubai campus
  The University of Birmingham partners with Innovation Gateway to unveil transformational sustainable initiatives for its new Dubai Campus, which will shortly start construction and open to students in September 2021, and for its main Edgbaston Campus in Birmingham.
  It joins other industry leaders including Tesco, the Royal Bank of Scotland, Heathrow Airport, Nottingham City Council and more, to boost the impact of its £1billion capital campus transformation initiatives. The partnership will enable the University to unlock the next breakthrough innovations from diverse industry sectors, across its 200+ buildings.
  The University's priority focus is to deliver a smart campus, and excellent student and staff experience. With a particular interest in the IOT (internet of things) and Smart Technologies, the University is looking to incorporate all these into the design of its new Dubai Campus. As part of its involvement, the University aims to deliver a state-of-the-art smart building and share its progress and results through the Innovation Gateway. The move builds on the University's commitment to support and develop first-class user experience, excellent building performance, and implement innovative solutions to both new build and retrofit projects.
  The University is committed to delivering a world-class university estate, through their ambitious 10-year campus transformation plan. By working closely with the Innovation Gateway Partners, the University hopes to find innovative and sustainable solutions to accelerate its sustainability progress and achieve smarter performing, and more intelligent and enabling estate for the benefit of all.
  As a result of increased focus on sustainability, the University achieved 20% reduction in carbon emissions, four years ahead of schedule. It has introduced many industry leading initiatives, including installing digital totems with a new digital campus map, improving wayfinding, navigation and information across the estate; and implementing Pavegen that generates renewable energy as users walk across its kinetic paving.
  Trevor Payne, Director of Estates at University of Birmingham commented,
  "The University of Birmingham is delighted to join this international, award winning innovation partnership. We are focused on working with the other leading organisations to ensure that we identify and implement innovative and smart technologies into our new Dubai campus.
  We're also looking to collaborate with other partners in the group to reduce the operational costs and environmental impacts of our buildings at our Edgbaston Campus in Birmingham."
  So far, the partnership has sourced over 600 targeted innovations from around the world to address partners' challenges. Partners have identified savings of millions of pounds per year, and substantial reductions in CO2 and water from innovations sourced and piloted through the programme.
  Henry Majed, Partnerships Director at Innovation Gateway concluded,
  "I'm delighted that an organisation with University of Birmingham's depth of experience has joined the Partners in the Innovation Gateway, further strengthening the alliance. I've been hugely impressed by the University's breakthrough ambition, and the progress it has made, with innovation-driven user experience at the heart. I'm excited to see this in action through their ground breaking new Dubai Campus, and the new perspectives this will bring to the group."
  The University of Birmingham is one of the United Kingdom's foremost research led institutions. Set in 230 acres of parkland campus in Edgbaston, the University has been leading the way since 1900 with internationally renowned research that influences the modern World.
  The University ranks highly in the UK for research excellence; it is also one of the largest Universities in the UK with around 27,000 undergraduate students, including nearly 5000 international students from 147 countries worldwide and over 6,000 academic and support staff members.
  The University is one of the 24 Russell Group universities. They operate globally, attracting international students and academic staff from many different countries, they also have a strong role and influence within their regional and local community and are committed to the highest levels of academic excellence in both teaching and research. Russell Group universities make an enormous impact on the economic, social and cultural wellbeing of the United Kingdom.
  The University has continued to be a university unafraid to do things a little differently, and in response to the challenges of the day. It was a founder member of the National Union of Students, the first university to be built on a campus model amongst other ambitious initiatives.