Ashraf AboArafe
His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology – may God protect him – launched the new strategy for the university, which aims to transform science and research into innovations with economic returns by focusing on National priorities for research, development and innovation, which are human health, environmental sustainability, renewable energy, and future economies, in addition to strengthening fruitful international and local partnerships, and partnership with the private sector, which contributes to achieving the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.
His Highness said: “Since the founding of KAUST, it has been distinguished in its research, innovations and talents, and has become one of the leading research universities in the world. The aspirations of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 for a better future for the Kingdom and the world.”
The new strategy focuses on increasing the chances of converting research into cost-effective innovations. This includes three major initiatives: the launch of the National Transformation Institute for Applied Research (NTI), the reorganization of research institutes at the university in line with national priorities for research, development and innovation, and the establishment of the Deep Technical Innovation Fund (DTIF) with an estimated budget of 750 million riyals. To early investment in local and international companies specialized in high-tech, in a way that enhances economic diversification and contributes to the generation of qualitative technical jobs.
The strategy also aims to provide quality opportunities for researchers, faculty members and students, and enable them to apply science and research, to create a sustainable global impact by strengthening international and local partnerships. Among the most important initiatives resulting from these partnerships are; The KAUST initiative to revive coral reefs in partnership with NEOM, to work on cultivating and reviving hundreds of thousands of coral reefs on an area of 100 hectares, on Shusha Island in the Red Sea, in addition to continuing cooperation with major companies in the Kingdom and the world such as: Aramco, SABIC, Aqua Power, IBM, Dow, and Boeing.
One of the most prominent initiatives of the strategy is to strengthen international partnerships and develop cooperation frameworks with leading academic institutions and technology pioneers in the world, such as concluding strategic cooperation agreements with leading companies in Shenzhen, China, to work on applied research in advanced fields such as space, robotics and microelectronics.
Through these initiatives and partnerships, KAUST will contribute to developing the higher education system and scientific research leaders in the Kingdom, marketing research and exchanging global innovation, and stimulating the growth of emerging companies based on advanced technology, thus enhancing the competitiveness of the Kingdom’s economy and its global leadership in innovation.
The strategy is based on the legacy of “KAUST” and its global academic standing, as the university ranked first in the world in terms of “citations per faculty member”, according to the (QS) classification for the year 2021 AD, while the university’s research production is included in the most important 25% of the highest-rated scientific journals on the At the global level, with a greater share than its peers from prestigious universities, and KAUST graduates are found today in a group of major international companies, scientific institutions and research centers, as CEOs and researchers, such as NASA, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, NEOM, and others.
