The Red Sea is "beautiful, fragile and unique" and people need the clearest picture of exactly what the sea holds before they can safeguard its future.

That is the belief that has driven a team at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) to develop a website that will store a database of the natural resources in the Red Sea. The website will analyze data and create visualizations so scientists and other professionals can make decisions based on the most up-to-date and comprehensive understanding of the sea. The website will also provide a collaborative mechanism so red sea researchers can collaborate on their work online.

Marine Science MS student Fahmi Machda and his team call this innovation the Red Sea Biogeographic Information System (RBIS) and their idea has made them one of the eight winners of KAUST's Seed Fund Program.

Almost $1 million has been granted in the first round of this Economic Development Department initiative. The program offers finance and support to students, faculty and staff who wish to transform their ideas and discoveries into commercial ventures.

Machda, who hopes to graduate in December, said: "The Red Sea is beautiful, fragile and unique. Our idea is to build up a website which will give people the big picture of what is happening in the Red Sea, with visualizations, maps and charts.

"There is already a lot of data available, but much of it is on paper only. Our idea would bring it all together. In future, data will also come from researchers. They will be able to login to the web to share their most updated data. The same theory could be used for any environmental project, such as city planning, forestry, flood prevention, conservation."

Machda (along with Noru Moreno and Chandra Prasetyo, all supervised by Professor Christian Voolstra) has been granted $54,784 by the Seed Fund plus $23,000 for administrative support. They plan to use the money to set up their initial base in the Kingdom.

Indonesian Machda said: "My hope would be to start our commercial business in Saudi Arabia, selling the platform for data first, and eventually the analytical tools and the information system to go with it. Then I hope, I would be able to bring this idea and solution to the world."

Machda, 24, from Bandung in West Java, went to Surabaya City in East Java to study Civil Engineering and Planning as an undergraduate. His university happened to be near to the coast, so his course focused on coastal development and planning.

When he applied for a position at KAUST, he was a good fit for the Management and Conservation of Marine Resources track. He said: "Indonesia and Saudi Arabia face many of the same challenges as they have both seen big development happen very quickly. This can mean that no one is monitoring changes, and the same mistakes can get repeated again and again. "Our database would be a way for government and town authorities to collect material and get a clear picture of what is happening, any pitfalls ahead, and what needs to be done. A good example in the developing world is traffic management.

"The Red Sea is a different type of example. It has the longest coral reef in the world and its salinity is unique. This gives us the chance of making new discoveries but the information needs to be joined together."

The team will be testing out the RBIS with a volunteer group at the Red Sea Research Center. Machda added: "This idea really could be put to good use in developing countries. KAUST has influenced me to think more about what I can give. King Abdullah has set us a good example, as he proposed KAUST for the sake of the world."

Machda already has a name for the company that he hopes will emerge from the team's work. The name is Alma Code containing an Arabic word "alma" which means water and an English word "code". Alma is also a Spanish word, which means soul. "What we want is to bring happiness to as many people as possible," he said. "We all want cleaner cities, or protection for our environment. Perhaps our idea can help a little bit."

Help for Innovators Who Mean Business

The Seed Fund Program offers finance and support to students, faculty and staff at KAUST who wish to develop their ideas and discoveries into commercial ventures.

The first eight recipients will share a total of $988,000 and receive additional funds from the university to cover administration costs.

For a list of other winners: Student Entrepreneurs Win Grants In First Seed Fund Round.

Applications are now being accepted for the second round of grants and should be submitted through the KAUST Portal.

Inquiries about round two and the Seed Fund Program should be sent to seedfund@kaust.edu.sa

Bookmark this page and check back over the next few weeks to find out what inspired other winners' ideas and learn of their hopes for their ventures.

(L-R) MS Marine Science student Noru Moreno, President Choon Fong Shih, MS Marine Science student Fahmi Machda, Senior Vice President for Economic and Technology Development, Dr. Mohamed Samaha and Assistant Professor for Marine Science, Christan Voolstra pictured at an event to reward Seed Fund winners.