Saudi Arabia & KAUST - National US-Arab Chamber of Commerce

KAUST opens – from page 7
SAREN, the Saudi Arabian Advanced
Research and Education Network, will enable
other institutions in the country and region
to link with K AUST’s six cutting-edge
laboratories. Shaheen, one of the most powerful
computers in the world, was developed by
IBM for the KAUST/IBM Center for Deep
Computing Research. The Visualization lab
houses CORNEA, the world’s brightest and
fully-immersive six-sided virtual reality
facility, developed by the University of
California, San Diego.
“Only two years ago, the KAUST campus
was sand, brush and sea – nothing else,”
commented H.E. Minister Ali Ibrahim
Al-Naimi at the final meeting of the KAUST
International Advisory Board. “Today, KAUST
is the site of some of the world’s best-equipped
scientific and engineering research and
educational facilities. Through KAUST, we
are bringing Saudi Arabia to the world and
the world to Saudi Arabia. It’s an exchange
that is long overdue and will no doubt change
the way all of us live.”
KAUST’s Breakwater Beacon is illuminated at the
Inauguration Ceremony
Photo courtesy of KAUST
KAUST‘s Industrial Collaboration
Program Facilitates Economic
Growth and Job Creation
Saudi Basic Industries Corporation
(SABIC), IBM, Boeing and Dow
Chemical Company have signed agreements
to become founding members of
the King Abdullah University of Science
and Technology (KAUST) Economic
Development Program (KICP). The
program is designed to maximize industrial
collaboration both within Saudi Arabia
and internationally, by creating a single
academic and industrial community that
will stimulate innovation, economic growth
and job creation.
“Companies and universities need to be
innovative if they want to remain globally
competitive”, explained KAUST Interim
President of Economic Development Ahmad
Al-Khowaiter. “KICP membership provides
our collaborators with recruiting and
outreach support, offers both employment
and funding prospects to students, as well
as challenging and meaningful research
collaborations for our faculty.”
Dow plans to build a multi-million dollar
joint research framework with KAUST.
Andrew Liveris, chairman and chief executive
officer of The Dow Chemical Company,
said that “Dow is excited about expanding
the potential of its R&D presence in the
Middle East through this exciting new
partnership with KAUST. The university’s
goal of fostering economic development
through the advancement of technology is
completely aligned with Dow’s focus on
delivering science-based solutions for everyday
needs.”
“While this is just the beginning of our
relationship, we are very excited to be a
strategic partner as KAUST looks to become
a world-class educational institution determined
to make a significant impact on the
economic development of the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia,” adds Liveris.
In addition to the KICP, the university
is establishing a Technology Transfer Office
and a Research Park to support the creation
of new businesses. Dr. Charles Kingdon,
director of the Research Park and Industrial
Collaboration explains that KAUST and
KICP will offer companies access to an
entrepreneurship program, as well as a
regional seed and venture fund network.
There are three membership categories
within the program – Founder, Supporter
and Small Business, each of which requires
a three-year commitment. Benefits vary
based upon the category. The Small Business
membership, in particular, gives SME’s and
KAUST-driven start-ups access to the
university’s global network of faculty and
resources, and offers mentoring from the
Innovation Center.
“In today’s business climate, it is important
to innovate and to work in a different
way, by interconnecting existing data and
information, and by forging smarter ways
of communication,” explained Takreem
El-Tohamy, General Manager of IBM Middle
East and North Africa. “This agreement,
which is an excellent bridge between academia
and the business community, is an important
step for innovative collaboration within the
Kingdom, and with our researchers globally.”
8 NUSACC • www.nusacc.org