The European Delegation to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Oman, in partnership with KAUST, brought together more than 211 students, researchers, and postdocs for the event Bridging Horizons: EU Cooperation for Mobility and Collaboration in Science, Innovation, and Beyond. 

The keynote talk was given by the European Union’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, H.E. Christophe Farnaud. His address focused on EU mobility and collaboration opportunities in health, climate, energy, and digital (including space) across EU funding programs. 

Following his address, there was a career development talk featuring Claude Mourey, Wood Mackenzie Executive Energy Advisor; KAUST Professor Ana Margarida Costa, Practice of Sustainability, Physical Science and Engineering (PSE) Division; PSE research scientist Dr. Julien Gorenflot; and KAUST Ph.D. student Salma Alsinan, EXPEC Advanced Research Center (Saudi Arabia). 

Farnaud stated: “KAUST’s commitment to ground-breaking research, sustainability, and technological progress, contributing to the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 goals, [is] very inspiring. I am happy to see so many commonalities with the EU, which could be a great opportunity for us both to expand our cooperation. The European Union is not only a close partner but also a committed ally in the global pursuit of knowledge, sustainability, and innovation. Our doors remain open to ambitious minds eager to explore, collaborate, and shape the future together.” 

The meeting with the EU Ambassador marks a significant milestone in deepening research and innovation collaboration between the EU and KAUST to contribute to the Vision 2030 agenda, said KAUST President Sir Edward Byrne AC. “There is interest in fostering greater mobility for students and researchers to advance human capital development in the Kingdom. Strengthening academic exchange is vital for building shared knowledge and interconnected innovation ecosystems.” 

KAUST Vice President for Institutional Advancements Professor Arwa Al-Aama added: “The visit of the [EU] ambassador to KAUST provides a good opportunity to increase academic partnerships and accelerate student exchanges between KAUST and the best European universities to advance national priority areas.”  

During his visit, the Ambassador had a series of meetings with Al-Aama; Samer Samman, KAUST Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer; Professor Omar Knio, Vice President for Education and Academic Affairs; Dr. Ian Campbell, Vice President for Innovation; Professor Mohamed-Slim Alouini, Associate Vice President of Research; Professor Gianluca Setti, Dean of the Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Science and Engineering (CEMSE) Division; Professor Chak Chan, Dean of PSE; and Professor Salim Al-Babili, Associate Dean of the Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE) Division. Additionally, the Ambassador visited the KAUST Core Labs and KAUST Solar Platform. 

The cooperation aims to promote educational collaboration between the EU and the Kingdom in alignment with national strategies to expand the knowledge economy by investing in human capital development through education.