Under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Khalid bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz, Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Governor of Makkah Region, and on behalf of His Royal Highness Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Governor of Makkah Region, His Highness Prince Saud bin Abdullah bin Jalawi, Governor of Jeddah, attended today the closing ceremony for the graduation of the third cohort of KAUST Academy, with a total of 300 graduates from various Saudi universities. The ceremony was organized by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), in partnership with the National Cybersecurity Authority (NCA), King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (K.A.CARE), and several other entities. 

The event was attended by Dr. Kim Al-Sahhaf, Vice President of Human Capacity Building at K.A.CARE; H.H. Princess Mashael bint Saud Al-Shalan, Chair of the Board of the “Women and Energy” Association; H.E. Mr. Hossam Abdullah Alwagait, Deputy Governor for Cybersecurity Sector Development; Mr. Abdul-Salam Al-Aqeel, Managing Director of Jarir Investment; and Mr. Abdullah Tariq Al-Qusabi, representing RZM Investment. 

Upon arrival, the royal anthem was played, followed by a recitation from the Holy Qur’an. KAUST President, Professor Sir Edward Byrne AC, delivered a speech emphasizing the importance of KAUST Academy in equipping students with advanced scientific skills, while commending the valuable contributions of program partners. 

The ceremony featured a visual presentation highlighting the Academy’s role in enriching the Kingdom with advanced training programs and the different phases of the training initiative, which was implemented in partnership with the private sector to equip students with advanced skills in critical areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), bioinformatics, cybersecurity, and renewable energy. The graduates presented their innovative projects and practical achievements in an interactive poster session, highlighting their outstanding research, creativity, and impact. 

At the conclusion of the ceremony, His Highness honored the participating entities, including K.A.CARE, NCA, the Women and Energy Association, Jarir Investment, and RZM Investment. 

The KAUST Academy program underwent four phases: the first phase delivered virtual courses to over 16,000 students from Saudi universities; the second and third phases provided intensive in-person training for more than 3,400 participants; and the fourth phase selected 300 top-performing students for internal and external placements at five leading global institutions—Duke University (United States), Oxford University and Cambridge University (United Kingdom), the University of Toronto (Canada), and the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (Italy)—as well as KAUST and King Khalid University in Abha. 

KAUST Academy was established as a platform for lifelong learning, with the mission of advancing technical skills in the labor market and preparing distinguished national talents. Its programs target university students and early-career professionals, offering short and intensive courses in AI, machine learning, and data science, in addition to diplomas, accreditation courses, and partial master’s programs. These initiatives aim to foster national talent development in alignment with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.