Heriot-Watt University

Heriot-Watt University is a distinguished public research institution based in Edinburgh, Scotland, which serves as one of the oldest universities in the United Kingdom. The university operates its unique worldwide educational system through five campuses, which exist in the United Kingdom, Dubai, and Malaysia, because of its status as a leader in worldwide educational systems. The university holds a strong reputation because it conducts research which benefits industries and creates a learning environment that supports international student development through professional training programs.

The institution traces its origins to 1821 with the establishment of the School of Arts of Edinburgh, which holds the distinction of being the world's first mechanics' institute. Leonard Horner established the school to educate technical and scientific subjects to working-class students based on Scottish Enlightenment principles. The institution received its current name in 1852 when it became the Watt Institution and School of Arts, which honored the inventor James Watt. The institution received university recognition through a Royal Charter in 1966, which initiated a period of major growth that resulted in establishing its primary parkland campus at Riccarton and creating the first European university research park.