Construction Update
Saudi Aramco and KAUST broke ground on the construction of a new state-of-the-art R&D Center on December 16, 2016 with an expected completion date of mid-2019.
The Center will be 11,300 square meter research facility housing 132 scientists and researchers, and will be aimed at supporting Saudi Aramco’s upstream and downstream research domains as well as the company’s environmental protection research efforts.
The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by the Saudi minister of Energy, Industry and Minerals, Saudi Aramco president and CEO and the Chairman and KAUST Board of Trustees and delegation from government, academia and business dignitaries. Read more
Dow Chairman and CEO Andrew Liveris officiated at the “Topping Out” ceremony for the Dow Middle East Innovation Center (MEIC) at King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia, marking an important milestone for the completion of the superstructure of the dedicated MEIC building, which is expected to be operational in the second half of 2018.
The ceremony was attended by members of the Board of Trustees of KAUST including Ali I. Al-Naimi, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of KAUST; Khalid Al-Falih, Minister of Energy, Industry & Mineral Resources; Amin Nasser, President and CEO of Saudi Aramco; and Jean-Lou Chameau, President of KAUST. Read more
New Resident Partners
Innovation and Economic Development is delighted to announce the presence of three new companies, SME Law, Rays Futuristic Innovations and Energya, at the KAUST Research and Technology Park (KAUST Park).
SME Law: provides specialized legal support services covering corporate formation, regulatory filing and licensing, corporate governance, legal compliance, trademark registration and investment advisory. SME Law is part of Hammad & Al-Mehdar legal firm in Jeddah and its chain worldwide.
Rayz Futuristic Innovations (RFI): a newly founded company with a focus on developing sustainable energy and transportation technologies devices, innovative research equipment for laboratories and complete solutions for a variety of laboratory requirements.
Energya: Specializes in all aspects of electrical contracting, with the capability to take on almost any client requirement, from lighting city centre bridges and cathedrals to designing and installing multi-megawatt power supply systems; we specialize in the most challenging and varied projects in our field.
The KAUST Park is a growing, innovation hub that provides companies of all sizes within the technology realm a space to collaborate, Innovate and Thrive. For more information on the Park, please contact us at innovation@kaust.edu.sa
Networking Updates
Over the last couple of years, social events have been organized for resident partners and service providers with an invitation extended to KAUST faculty and personnel. The objective of these events has been to foster closer relationships, broaden networking and encourage collaboration between the Park community; resident partners with other resident partners and resident partners with KAUST.
The KAUST Park’s social events are centered on the following formats:
- Bi-Monthly Partners Social Gathering: A networking event with a platform for information sharing by all attendees.
- Year-End Partners Family Gathering: An event which is about family time and a community favorite.
At the 2016 Partners Family Gathering held on December 8, 350 guests were welcomed to the KAUST golf course where they were entertained with live music and the children ran free from bouncy castles to the face painting station. The event was captured by FalconViz (KAUST startup and resident partner) with aerial photos and videos.