The KAUST Economic Impact Assessment, an independent assessment, estimates that every year KAUST generates US$5.6 billion in economic value for Saudi Arabia. This includes supporting approximately 28,800 full-time-equivalent jobs across the Kingdom and direct contributions to Saudi Arabia’s GDP, estimated at US$2.2 billion. 

The assessment shows the scale of that contribution across the Saudi economy, from businesses and jobs supported by KAUST to the value created through its research, innovation, and activities in the Kingdom. 

The assessment applies internationally established approaches to measuring university impact, drawing on methodologies used by institutions including Oxford and Cambridge to assess the economic value created through research, graduates, startups, and wider university activity. It also uses conservative assumptions and accounts for overlaps between different areas of impact to avoid double counting. 

The Economic Impact Assessment is published alongside the KAUST Impact Report, which uses case studies to examine how research, education, innovation, and partnerships are creating wider impact across Saudi Arabia. Together, the two reports provide both a measure of KAUST’s economic contribution and a broader picture of how that value is created. 

KAUST President Sir Edward Byrne AC FMedSci said: “KAUST contributes significantly to Saudi Arabia, with US$5.6 billion each year in the economy, and a diverse set of activities creating wider impact. These figures reflect KAUST’s contribution to industry, where innovation creates direct economic value — and to the people of Saudi Arabia, where jobs are created, skills develop, and livelihoods are supported. 

“At a time when national priorities are so focused on meeting society’s needs, measuring how scientific knowledge translates in society has never been so critical and will inform the continued strong future direction for KAUST’s impact.” 

Behind those figures is a broader story of how a research university creates value. Ideas developed in KAUST laboratories are moving into companies and practical applications, while partnerships with government, industry, and academia are helping research and technology developed at the University reach further into the Kingdom. 

This can be seen across research areas important to Saudi Arabia, including food, water, health, energy, and the environment. One example is KAUST’s work in algal biotechnology, where research is being scaled through a 42,000-square-meter facility to explore the production of high-protein biomass for animal feed. It is one example of how research developed at KAUST can move beyond the laboratory toward practical use in the Kingdom. 

The KAUST Economic Impact Assessment measures the scale of the University’s contribution to the Saudi economy, while the KAUST Impact Report examines how the University creates wider value through research, education, innovation, and partnerships. The reports also establish a baseline for KAUST’s next phase. 

By understanding where impact is already being created and where there is further potential, KAUST can use the findings to help guide future decisions and strengthen the translation of research into outcomes for the Kingdom. 

Read the KAUST Economic Impact Assessment and KAUST Impact Report.