Khalifa University is committed to creating an environment of positive change through the power of community, collaboration and actions and initiatives that result in greater environmental, social and economic sustainability for all.
Sustainability and corporate responsibility are key tenets of the Khalifa University community. Our Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) Office publish an annual sustainability report, in which they address how the university’s everyday activities impact the physical environmental. We support our students to take matters into their own hands, and help them research and develop unique solutions to some key environmental, social and economic sustainability challenges found in the UAE and around the world.
The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals are the plan to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including those related to poverty, inequality, energy crises, water and food shortage, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice. Khalifa University is committed to supporting the implementation of the SDGs at national and global scales through faculty and student-led research projects and activities.
Students at Khalifa University focus their academic, research and extracurricular efforts on projects that can result in a significant environmental, societal and economic impact. Our students are encouraged to pursue complex engineering challenges that have a direct and tangible impact on human lives, and the life of our planet.
Strata bike project: In collaboration with Strata PJSC and Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Khalifa University is developing lightweight high-performance carbon bicycles in-house. Led by Dr. Sanjeev Rao, Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering, a team of researchers from Khalifa University is turning carbon composites from the aerospace waste stream into state-of-the-art bicycle frames, ideal for racing and completely custom-fitted to each individual rider. Italian- designed and manufactured in-house in the UAE, each bike features aerospace materials from Strata, weighs just 2.6kg and contributes to recycling and sustainability in Abu Dhabi.Â
When Aryam Ahmed, 21, saw a construction worker pass out from the heat in the street, she decided she wanted to solve the problem.
The Emirati engineering student spent the next two years developing a suit which would keep outdoor workers cool – and is now set to pitch her fledgling business idea to an audience of international business leaders and investors. She was recently chosen as one of the winners of the Pitch@Palace initiative that seeks to encourage Emirati entrepreneurship and is backed by UK royal, Prince Andrew.
She now hopes her invention will help over one million outdoor workers in the UAE and at the same time increase productivity for businesses.
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Khalifa University fosters an organizational culture that promotes energy and water conservation and engages with its stakeholders to encourage energy and water-saving behavior.
The EHS Office leads KU’s efforts to improve energy efficiency  on campus in various ways in order to reduce our energy consumption, cost, and carbon footprint, and to support the UAE Water Security Strategy 2036 and UAE Energy Strategy 2050, by abiding by the following guidelines:
The KU EHS and Facility Management Department has started various initiatives toward sustainability, including:
Are you a KU community member or an entity who wants to collaborate with Khalifa University in pursuing projects that improve the university’s operational environmental performance, foster environmental literacy and community engagement, advance applied research and design, expand sustainability learning opportunities, and demonstrate the viability of best practices and technologies for sustainability within KU campus or within Abu Dhabi emirate.
