KAUST: A 21st Century University

Free of institutional and bureaucratic barriers

• KAUST will convene the best minds – based strictly on merit – and create a collaborative community of passionate and talented researchers from around the world, who can transcend the boundaries of their fields to transform the lives of millions of others who will benefit from their work.

Focused on research that applies science and technology to problems of human need, social advancement, and economic development

• KAUST will feature an academic structure that organizes interdisciplinary teams around problems of science and technology, a structure that most leaders in higher education around the world agree is well suited to meet the demands of 21st century research.

Blending the educational process with the pursuit of strategic research advances that have the potential to spawn new industries and transform existing industries

• KAUST will act as a catalyst for research that applies science and technology to problems of human need, social advancement, and economic development in Saudi Arabia, across the region and around the globe.
• KAUST will provide leading researchers – both faculty and students – with the resources they need to do their best work and pursue their professional goals: cutting-edge tools and an environment that fosters innovation and discovery.

Featuring a campus that reflects an open academic philosophy and encourages collaboration and collegial relationships that can spawn innovation and invention

• The KAUST campus will be constructed for low environmental impact, with an emphasis on energy efficiency, sustainable development, and conservation of historical/cultural sites and sensitive ecosystems.
• KAUST will contribute to the global research community and help Saudi Arabia strengthen and diversify its economy.

Global as well as Local

• Because innovation and scientific discovery cannot be constrained within international boundaries, KAUST's work will also occur well beyond its physical campus. An integral part of KAUST's research strategy is to support scientists at first-rank institutions around the world.
• The University will also establish formal collaborations with such institutions, as well as with the private sector, around research of mutual interest. That work is set to begin immediately.

Leading the world toward a constructive interdependent and hopeful future

• KAUST will encourage critical collaborations between East and West and, at the same time, continue a tradition of scholarly inquiry dating back to ancient Islamic institutions of learning such as the House of Wisdom.