Heriot-Watt University Dubai Wins Phoenix Contact's xplore 2023 Technology Award for a Sustainable World

DUBAI, UAE, Nov. 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- (10/23) For more than two decades, Phoenix Contact has been hosting the international technology and education competition xplore. In the 2023 edition, the motto was "Technology Award for a Sustainable World": Solutions for daily life in a sustainable world or educational solutions for technology and qualification for a sustainable world were being sought.

More than 170 teams from over 30 countries applied for the competition. During the global online conference xvention in September 2022, the jury from science, industry, and associations selected 100 international teams to support in developing their project ideas for sustainable solutions. Each team was granted a voucher for goods valued at over 3,500 euros and provided with the most suitable components for their project free of charge.

In September 2023, 25 teams from 14 countries were shortlisted and invited to Bad Pyrmont for the grand finale, where they gave live presentations of their projects. Two teams from the Heriot-Watt University Dubai emerged as winners of first place in their respective categories: "Smart Aquaponic Systems" in the Environmental Category and "NurseBot" in the Social & Health Category.

The final Award Ceremony was held on 20th October 2023 at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action in Berlin, hosted by Minister Michael Kellner. The teams showcased their projects to state executives and other guests and were presented with certificates of recognition.

Iyad Madanat, General Manager for Phoenix Contact in the Middle East region, commented: "It is gratifying to see the success of the two projects from Heriot-Watt University Dubai in our xplore 2023 competition. This is not the first time that students from the university have been successful at winning our xplore award, but it is indeed the first time they have achieved top places in two of the five award categories. This extraordinary result is a fruit of the successful collaboration between Phoenix Contact and the university that has extended over the past 10 years". Phoenix Contact continues to work with the education sector to qualify future talent in the areas of electrification, networking, and automation, thereby empowering and preparing the way to the All Electric Society, which represents a sustainable world.

"We are thrilled that our students have won first place in the environmental and social & health competition categories at xplore 2023. Phoenix Contact has been a long-standing partner of Heriot-Watt University, and it gives us immense pride to be part of and win their global competition, with over 170 teams participating. Sustainable technology is the need of the hour and an essential pillar of our future society, and xplore 2023 has given us the platform to contribute towards it. Our students have worked extremely hard and applied their practical knowledge in delivering the winning entries, and we believe that such hands-on experience of putting theory into action is important. Initiatives such as these allow our students to experience and develop future skills and become global change-makers. We want to express our gratitude to the entire team at Phoenix Contacts Middle East FZ LLC for their continued support over the past ten years", said Dr. Prashant Kumar Soori, Associate Professor at the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences at Heriot-Watt University Dubai. 

About Phoenix Contact: Under a global umbrella brand, Phoenix Contact offers innovative products, solutions, and digitalization expertise for the electrification, networking, and automation of all sectors of the economy and infrastructure. For the past 100 years, the family-run company has empowered industry and society to transform into a sustainable world with long-term growth prospects for everyone.

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