Special Academic Partnership

Through its special Academic Partnerships, KAUST will create unique research opportunities that support the development of a robust research environment on-campus.

Focusing on institutions with a strong interest in research collaboration, the University’s academic partnerships explore research areas of common interest that are critical for start-up of the KAUST campus.

To date KAUST has entered into partnerships with the institutions listed below,

• Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
• Institut Francais du Petrole
• National University of Singapore
• The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
• The American University in Cairo
• Technische Universität München
• King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals
• University of California, San Diego

To support and drive KAUST’s research agenda, the University has identified four primary strategic research thrusts and several interdisciplinary Research Centers that will apply science and technology to problems of human need, social advancement, and economic development.

From marine biotechnology and coral reef protection to super-computing and petrochemical research, these partnerships will support KAUST’s research agenda and bring significant benefits the region and the world.

Under the terms of the agreements, research begins at the partner’s institution. Eventually, part of it is migrated – along with researchers – to the KAUST campus. In this way, the academic partnerships will help build KAUST’s Research Centers and contribute to the development of KAUST’s research community by supporting recruitment of researchers and students and building the pool of post-doctoral researchers and lead investigators.