KAUST Groundbreaking Ceremony

Mr. Abdallah S. Jum’ah

Mr. Abdallah S. Jum’ah


President and CEO, Saudi Aramco

Presented at the KAUST Groundbreaking Ceremony
October 21, 2007 - Thuwal, Saudi Arabia





Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, may God preserve him,
HRH Prince Sultan ibn Abd Al-Aziz, Crown Prince, Vice President of the Council of Ministers, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General,
Their Royal Highnesses the Princes,
Reverences and Excellencies,
Dear guests,
As-salam 'alaikum wa Rahmat Allah wa Barakatuh,

It is a great honor for me to represent Saudi Aramco employees here today at the groundbreaking of this prestigious institution of higher learning. The world stands today on the threshold of a scientific and technological revolution of monumental proportions. When you lay the foundation stone of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology today, you will be expressing a confidence in the future with great conviction… a conviction that will move this nation with its men, women, ambitious youth, beautiful coastlines, cities and deserts into the vast horizons of the 21st century.

The determination and commitment to progress represented by KAUST will help enable the most talented minds of present and future generations to take their place with their counterparts around the world in the areas of education and research. Their minds will open up to great possibilities, and they will be the pioneers of civilization, the builders of bridges of communications, and exchangers of knowledge. Through the forward-looking enterprise represented by KAUST, the Kingdom will embark on a journey of historical transformation, from a consumer of knowledge and technology to a prominent and active producer of these most valuable commodities, and our nation will take its place among others as a forum for research and learning.

Saudi Aramco has been honored to be selected to develop the university and transform your unique vision into a flourishing reality. KAUST, with its sheer magnitude and ambitious timetable, has evoked in us our institutional passion for great challenges. KAUST represents a challenge of unique scale, not only as a massive construction project, but as one that requires an integrated, efficient research and academic system. This challenge brings out the best of our employees’ intellects, practical experience, creativity, and innovative approaches to the implementation of mega-projects, no matter how complex they may be.

Over the past year, the project taskforce has traversed tens of thousands of miles around the globe in order to create the ideal approach for the university’s implementation. They have gone to great lengths to ensure that they begin where the others have ended, and to take advantage of the best practices of world-class academic and research institutions in nations around the world. In an extraordinary initial push, the university’s management team developed an integrated vision of how the academic and infrastructural components of the university will complement each other when it opens.

By the grace of God, that vision is a dazzling testament to their skill and commitment. While other pioneering universities grow in incremental stages, their construction spread out over long periods, KAUST will break the mold by being established all at once, realizing its vision as a fully-formed research and academic center of excellence, drawing inspiration from the glory of the past and its Islamic values. Built on the foundations of knowledge, KAUST will bring together people from around the world as they strive together in support of human development and dignity.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques,

The knowledge gap separating the Arab and Islamic nations from the advancement of contemporary global civilization is becoming deeper and wider. Based on knowledge indices such as the number of basic and advanced research papers published, the number of scholars and engineers engaged in research and development, the volume of expenditure on research relative to GDP, and the number of patents registered in the Arab and Islamic world, we must certainly conclude that the nation the Qur’an has exhorted to “read,” has gone astray from God’s admonition to seek knowledge.

The fostering of a culture of scientific research and indigenous development capabilities is imperative. In this regard, KAUST is the Kingdom’s gift to the world in the fields of research and development, and represents a critical development to shrink the knowledge gap. We are confident that it will be a model institution, and a catalyst for establishing more research centers and knowledge cities.

The Kingdom’s oil industry, given its indispensable role in economic development, will be among the beneficiaries of KAUST’s research and academic efforts. As an industry, we have a great need for talented, creative people who will address some of our greatest challenges and advance our operational capabilities. There is no doubt in our minds that KAUST will provide the scientific environment that will serve not just the petroleum industry, but also the areas of petrochemicals, information technology, water desalination and “knowledge industries” of the future that the Kingdom will have the opportunity to embrace.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques,

Saudi Aramco’s record, which includes many ambitious projects and initiatives thanks to your support and sponsorship, will proudly add to its history the honor of being tasked with the development and establishment of this university. We will mobilize all our resources to complete this groundbreaking project within its accelerated timetable, and to the high standards we have always achieved. Our promise to you is that your vision of KAUST, and your expectations from Saudi Aramco, will be duly carried out.

I wish to express my thanks to His Excellency Ali ibn Ibrahim Al-Naimi, in whose mind, heart and daily schedule KAUST has been a front-burner issue, despite his other critical roles and the many demands on his time. He has supervised the planning process and has been a crucial supporter of the taskforce with his unflagging leadership.

I also wish to thank the head of the university taskforce and its members, who have carried Saudi Aramco’s spirit and their vast experience to the KAUST project, admirably exemplifying our corporate values through their love for work and dedication to performance, so that this university may flourish to the benefit of the nation and the world.

I pray to God to preserve for our Kingdom its leaders, and that its citizens continue to enjoy security, prosperity, and progress. Some 1,400 years ago, the light of an eternal message emanated from the land of this peninsula to benefit mankind. Today, this light of faith comes together with the light of knowledge, by the grace of God, the lord of the universe.

As-salam 'alaikum wa Rahmat Allah wa Barakatuh.