King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Announces Research Partnerships with American University in Cairo and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Partnerships to focus on Red Sea Microbial Genomic Studies

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) signed collaborative research agreements with the American University in Cairo (AUC) on June 22 and with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) on June 27. Both agreements have a research component at the partner's institution, and a research component at KAUST, which will be initiated at start-up. Both agreements involve areas of research which are of strategic interest to both the partners as well as KAUST.

The collaborative research agreements with AUC involve three independent projects incorporating Red Sea microbial genomic studies, nanotechnology-based electromechanical chips and devices, and integrated building technologies for a desert environment. The Red Sea microbial genomic studies will complement studies to be carried out by HKUST, and will utilize the research vessel of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) to collect samples for the studies.

The collaborative research agreements with HKUST will involve two independent projects incorporating Red Sea microbial genomic studies complementary to the work by AUC, in addition to a nanotechnology-based project involving microfluidic chips.

The partners have begun to work together, with KAUST's guidance, to streamline their Red Sea projects, and are also working with WHOI to plan their participation in the upcoming Red Sea cruise, scheduled for October 2008.