King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) is an international research university and the only one specializing in postgraduate studies among the Saudi public universities.
KAUST Location
The university's campus is located in Thuwal Center, which is eighty km north of Jeddah City. During its establishment phase, Professor Choon Fong Shih was appointed as the first president of the university in 2008.
The KAUST university campus is considered the largest in the Kingdom in terms of area, spanning over thirty-six million m. The majority of its layout is comprised of distinctive buildings that exhibit Islamic architectural designs, constructed under the supervision of Saudi Aramco. Additionally, it's the first Saudi university to be awarded the Platinum certification according to the LEED standards.
KAUST foundation
KAUST was established in 2009, coinciding with the Saudi Arabian National Day. It stands as one of the leading international universities in the fields of research, science, and engineering.
The University was inaugurated by King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, and it is the only institution in the Kingdom whose opening ceremony was attended by more than sixty leaders, heads of Arab and Western states, and scholars.
KAUST acquisition
KAUST owns Shaheen, which is the seventh fastest supercomputer in the world according to the list announced at the International Supercomputing Conference in Frankfurt.
The university ranked first in the Middle East and sixth globally, according to the Nature Index for Young Universities in 2019.
KAUST departments
KAUST grants Master's and Doctoral degrees under a scholarship system in sixteen academic programs distributed across three departments: the Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division, the Computer, Electrical, and Mathematical Science and Engineering Division, and the Physical Science and Engineering Division.
Museum of Science and Technology in Islam
King Abdullah University houses the Museum of Science and Technology in Islam, which showcases the achievements of Muslim scientists during the golden age between the seventh and seventeenth centuries, such as: Jabir Ibn Hayyan, Abbas Ibn Firnas, al-Kindi, al-Razi, al-Jazari, and Taqi al-Din. King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz considered it a civilizational heritage that inspired him to establish this edifice as a new House of Wisdom. People from all over the world come to acquire knowledge and enrich their understanding, emulating the House of Wisdom in Baghdad, which was a global research center sought after by scholars from everywhere.
KAUST strategy
His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the crown prince, prime minister, and chairman of the Board of Trustees of KAUST, launched on August 20, 2023, the new strategy for the university, focusing on increasing opportunities to convert research into economically profitable innovations. This includes three main initiatives: the launch of the National Transformation Institute for Applied Research (NTI), the reorganization of the university's research institutes to align with the national priorities of research, development, and innovation, and the establishment of the Deep Tech Innovation Fund (DTIF) with a budget estimated at SAR750 million. The fund aims to invest early in local and international companies specializing in advanced technology, enhancing economic diversification, generating quality tech jobs, and achieving the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.
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