KAUST at Jeddah Economic Forum
March 26, 2011
In the KAUST charter, The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, said that the University would act as a catalyst for the diversification of the Saudi economy. Last week two events were held at the 2011 Jeddah Economic Forum (JEF) discussing the work the institution is doing to fulfill this responsibility.
On Sunday March 20, Stefan Catsicas, University Provost, spoke to a packed audience during a keynote lunch at the Jeddah Hilton about Saudi Arabia's "aspiration to diversify from energy-driven to a knowledge economy ".
His talk, entitled "Worldwide Technology Trends and KAUST" discussed the role of academia, research and innovation when applied to global problems. Professor Catsicas said "education is a global priority and science, a universal language" and that the inter-disciplinary research model adopted by the University will take these two concepts into new areas.
On Monday March 21, the University hosted a series of talks at JEF entitled "Science, Technology, Innovation and Sustainable Economic Growth".
Speakers at the session included Professor Jean-Marie Basset, Director of the KAUST Catalysis Center (KCC), Amin Al-Shibani, Vice President of Economic Development and Terrence McElwee, Director of Technology Transfer & Innovation. The session was conducted by Lama A. Al-Sulaiman, Vice Chairperson of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI).
During his talk Professor Basset gave an overview of the KCC, its role, research and detailed the catalysis breakthroughs the center has made.
Professor Basset explained that the world's energy and environmental require the development of new energy resources, efficient use of fossil fuels and a rapid growth in renewables.
"As the global population increases, resources of water, oil and food become more constrained," explained Professor Basset. "Catalysis is the only technology which can transform these into new energy vectors."
The demand for effective catalysis technology will be in high the future. The KCC aims to play a major role in meeting this challenge and will bring the benefits of this research to the Kingdom, the region and the world.
Amin Al-Shibani delivered a seminar called "Fostering a knowledge based economy in Saudi Arabia". He said the University would work to become a "leading example" for the introduction of intensive R&D businesses in the Saudi economy.
"From day one, the economic development of Saudi Arabia has been central to the KAUST vision and mission," explained Mr. Al-Shibani. He said that the University stood apart from others with respect to this role.
Mr. Al-Shibani explained that the recent strategic agreements with companies like Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC) and The Dow Chemical Corporation (Dow)are prime examples of the University's drive to catalyze diversification of the Saudi economy.
Dr. Terrence P. McElwee ended the session with his seminar, "A Regional Model for University Technology Transfer". He discussed how TTI was working to bring the power of networks to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
"Professional networks make everything happen," said Dr. McElwee. "MENA400 is an example of just how powerful professional networks can be in the Middle East and North Africa region", Dr. McElwee explained.
MENA400 is a KAUST and Arab Science and Technology Foundation initiative – currently available by invitation only – that connects technology experts from all over the region in an online network where they can share, discuss and debate their ideas.
JEF 2011 also featured speakers such as Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, His Royal Highness Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, His Royal Highness Prince Turki Al-Faisal as well as presentations from Google, Singularity University, Saudi Arabian Airlines and Bank of America.