King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) demonstrated its leadership in international partnerships by strengthening Saudi–Italian collaboration in research, innovation, and advanced technology during the Saudi–Italian Investment and Business Forum held in Riyadh on November 25–26. The event follows this year’s declaration to elevate bilateral relations between Saudi Arabia and Italy, signed by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud and Italian Prime Minister HE Giorgia Meloni. Opened by HE Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Falih, Minister of Investment, and Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister HE Antonio Tajani, KAUST announced three strategic Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with leading Italian academic and industrial institutions, as well as a new joint scholarship program. These key collaborations underscore KAUST’s role as a driving force in international partnerships that support the Kingdom’s scientific and economic transformation.  

 The engagements reflect KAUST’s commitment to advancing Vision 2030 priorities by expanding cooperation across microelectronics, artificial intelligence, life sciences, robotics, advanced sensing, and maritime innovation. Together, these collaborations strengthen talent pipelines, accelerate technology transfer, and open new opportunities for joint research that link Saudi Arabia and Italy in high-impact scientific domains. Representing KAUST at the forum was Professor Gianluca Setti, Dean of the Computer, Electrical, and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division (CEMSE). 

KAUST and Politecnico di Torino University signed a five-year MoU establishing a broad partnership spanning joint research, academic exchange, and training programs. The collaboration, signed by Professor Arwa Yousuf Al-Aama, Vice President, Education and Advancement at KAUST and Professor Elena Baralis, Deputy Rector at Politecnico di Torino University, focuses on shared research priorities in micro and nanoelectronics, digital systems and AI, energy and environment, smart health, and food and water technologies. The agreement enables dual PhD opportunities, joint-funded projects, researcher exchanges, and shared academic activities between the two universities.  

KAUST also signed an MoU with ELT Group to work together on the development of a platform where scientific breakthroughs meet business applications, ensuring that cutting-edge research is not confined to academic circles but instead reaches the industrial ecosystem of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The cooperation, agreed under Professor Pierre Magistretti, Vice President of Research at KAUST, includes cooperation to address some of the most complex challenges, while also focusing on joint research and studies on emerging technologies, specialized training programs, and access to state-of-the-art testing facilities. Building on ELT’s established presence in the Kingdom, the partnership aligns its applied expertise with KAUST’s research strengths in communications, sensing, and security-related technologies. 

Expanding the scope of their existing MoU, KAUST and the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) strengthened collaboration across key scientific and technological fields. The agreement supports joint work in life sciences, robotics, neuromorphic computing, micro- and nanoelectronics, smart sensing, advanced materials, and computational sciences. It also provides pathways for researcher and student exchanges, joint workshops, and coordinated activity in technology transfer, supported through separate agreements over the coming years.  

In addition, KAUST and Fincantieri, one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups, announced a new scholarship program to support research in maritime security, cyber resilience, and next-generation navigation technologies. The scholarship — an outcome of an MoU signed earlier this year — supports emerging researchers developing solutions for AIS authentication, GPS spoofing detection, and machine-learning-enabled navigation systems, strengthening talent development in a sector critical to global maritime operations.  

Professor Gianluca Setti, at KAUST, said: “These agreements highlight the strength of Saudi–Italian cooperation and the vital role that international partnerships play in advancing research, technology development, and talent creation. By connecting KAUST’s scientific capabilities with Italy’s leading universities and technology companies, we are opening new pathways for innovation that align with Saudi Arabia’s priorities for economic diversification and a knowledge-based future.”  

The Saudi–Italian Investment and Business Forum provided a major platform for KAUST to advance global partnerships that support research excellence, high-impact innovation, and the development of future-ready human capital. Through these MoUs and initiatives, KAUST continues to play a leading role in positioning Saudi Arabia as an international hub for advanced science and technology.