KAUST celebrated its 15-year anniversary and US$205 million in research and development funding by members of the KAUST Industry Collaboration Program (KICP) since the program’s inception, during the annual convening of the KAUST Advisory Board (KAB) in Riyadh on November 6, 2024.  

That investment means that over 70% of all external research funding at KAUST in the past 15 years was provided by members of the KICP. 

KICP, an economic development platform launched in 2009, connects KAUST with government entities, businesses and industries to accelerate innovation through deep tech and entrepreneurship. Currently, the program includes 28 domestic and international organizations, each of which is invited to elect an executive member to the board. 

KICP helps its members from government and industry access KAUST talent, intellectual property and infrastructure to advance research, development and economic opportunities, while also facilitating engagement with Saudi policymakers. To date, KAUST has provided US$43 million in consultancy to KICP members who have, in turn, supported approximately 234 KAUST R&D projects since 2009. 

Over the past 15 years, industry organizations such as founding members Aramco, SABIC, Halliburton, Boeing and Dow have hired 346 KAUST graduates. 

This year’s board meeting was honored by the attendance of KAUST’s new president, President Sir Edward Byrne AC FMedSci, who welcomed several new members: MEWA, ACWA Power, ENOWA, NSG and RDIA. 

 “The growing membership of government and private sector members reflects 15 years of success in collaborating with industry partners and proves our new strategy of accelerating impact in the Kingdom is on track,” Sir Edward said. 

The annual meeting included the latest updates on KAUST's strategy from Dr. Campbell and what KAUST has been doing for the past year on the working groups and their development into consortia, alliances and projects. He will also provide a summary of the launch of the centers of excellences. Finally, a signing ceremony was held, announcing the new members of the program. 

“KICP basically acts as the voice of the industry within KAUST, and the voice of the academics in the industry,” said KAUST Vice President for the National Transformation Institute (NTI) Ian Campbell. “Since December of last year, we have launched KICP working groups that bring the industry together to participate in extensive workshops around the four main research and development pillars to advance Vision 2030.” 

These working groups have identified 92 topics of interest, resulting in the creation of two consortia: the SpaceTech Empowerment: Opportunities in the Earth Observation Market Workshop, held in August in partnership with the Space Entrepreneurship Alliance and Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST), and the Building a National Inventory for Lifecycle Assessment Workshop, held in September. 

“In the space sector, KAUST will provide us access to world-class R&D facilities, as well as access to top researchers and scientists. This aligns with our strategic objectives both in the space sector and globally," commented Moutaz Mashhour, the chief human resources officer of NSG. 

Another achievement of KICP is the funding of the KAUST Future Industry Cluster (KFIC) by KICP member, the National Industrial Development and Logistics Program (NIDLP). This government program is developing high-growth sectors domestically and supporting an open economy that welcomes foreign investment.  

Mohammed Bin Hassan, Executive Director at NIDLP, commented: "We believe the partnership between NIDLP and KAB board members, will help the Kingdom generate services and products that will contribute to the GDP and the economy of the Kingdom."  

With the Kingdom’s new strategy for KAUST providing a framework for members to explore long-term opportunities and commitments, the event signaled a new era of alliance for launching ambitions and deepening impact within the Kingdom and beyond.