JEDDAH: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Thuwal, which will be officially opened on Sept. 23, will serve as a bridge between world cultures, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah said.
“This international research university is a contribution from Saudi Arabia to promote knowledge,” the king said while he addressed a meeting of the Council of Ministers at Al-Safa Palace on Monday night.
King Abdullah has invited the heads of state of several countries to attend KAUST’s opening on Sept. 23, which coincides with Saudi Arabia’s National Day. The SR10 billion university is a dream project of the king.
“KAUST is a big cultural achievement, not only for Saudi Arabia but for the whole world,” the king said. Two weeks ago 400 students selected from different parts of the world, including Europe, America, East Asia and South Africa began studies at the university located in Thuwal, about 80 km north of Jeddah.
KAUST offers master’s and doctoral degrees in applied mathematics and computational science, bioscience, chemical and biological engineering, chemistry, computer science, earth science and engineering, electrical engineering, environmental science and engineering, marine science and engineering, materials science and engineering and mechanical engineering.
The M.S. degree offered by the university requires 18 months to complete, and will be offered to both traditional full-time students and part-time students including industry-sponsored students on semester-long company leaves. The Ph.D. degree, which is a three- to four-year post-master’s degree, involves original research at a KAUST research center. The university has highly qualified and experienced faculty members from 80 countries.
Osama Tayeb, president of King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, said KAUST would play a big role in boosting the Kingdom’s scientific and technological development. “It will accelerate scientific, technological, cultural, economic and social progress not only in the Western province but all over the Kingdom,” he added. Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja said the Cabinet meeting reviewed the services being extended to the millions of pilgrims who have come from different parts of the world to perform Umrah during Ramadan.
King Abdullah instructed all government departments to do their best in the service of the guests of God. Speaking about National Day, King Abdullah thanked the Almighty for bestowing His blessings on the country. He reiterated the government’s commitment to make greater efforts to boost the country’s overall development. Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Prince Naif briefed the Cabinet on the outcome of a meeting of provincial governors in Makkah recently. He said the governors would continue their efforts to improve services to citizens and residents and increase general prosperity.
The Cabinet expressed its pleasure at the Kingdom’s becoming the 13th most competent country in the world in terms of doing business and receiving foreign investment. The selection is in a recent “Doing Business” report of International Finance Corporation of the World Bank, which placed Saudi Arabia 13th in a list of 183 countries.
