News Release

KAUST announces research partnership with Technische Universität München

Business Announcement

King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST)

Nadhmi Al-Nasr, KAUST Interim President, and Professor Dr. Wolfgang A. Herrmann, president of TUM

image: Nadhmi Al-Nasr, KAUST interim president (left), and Professor Dr. Wolfgang A. Herrmann, president of TUM (right), sign a MOU in Munich, Germany to collaborate on research initiatives, including the design, construction and initial operation of research centers at KAUST. view more 

Credit: (c) KAUST

Munich, Germany (January, 25, 2008) — King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and Technische Universität München (TUM) signed a Memorandum of Understanding today to collaborate on cutting-edge research. The signing, KAUST’s seventh research agreement with a major international university in the last seven months, is another example of growing efforts among institutions to gather the best minds from around the world to address specific needs in scientific and technological research.

KAUST, a new world-class, graduate-level research institution currently under development in Saudi Arabia, will partner with TUM on fundamental and applied science and engineering research in a variety of areas, including solar energy, mathematical modeling, high-speed computational science, carbon sequestration, and advanced sensors for industrial applications.

“Technische Universität München is one of the global leaders in science and engineering research,” said Nadhmi Al-Nasr, KAUST interim president. “More importantly, TUM is the home to some of the best experts in research areas that are of primary focus for KAUST. We look forward to a relationship that will nurture discoveries and innovations that will benefit Saudi Arabia and the world.”

KAUST and TUM will collaborate in several areas including:

  • collaborative research programs conducted at TUM and/or KAUST;
  • exchange of scientific, technical, and administrative staff as needed; and
  • exchange of information on research and engineering topics of mutual interest.

“Technische Universität München is delighted to be a key cooperation member in this ambitious venture. Together with outstanding international partners, we will contribute our specific expertise to help making KAUST a world-class research and teaching institution,” said Professor Wolfgang A. Herrmann, president of the Technische Universität München.

In addition to the partnership with TUM, KAUST has also signed agreements to create similar partnerships with the following organizations: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI); Institut Français du Pétrole (France); National University of Singapore; the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay; and American University in Cairo. KAUST also recently consummated its first collaboration agreement with an industry partner, GE Global Research Center (GRC).

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About KAUST

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) is being built in Saudi Arabia as an international, graduate-level research university dedicated to inspiring a new age of scientific achievement in the Kingdom, the region and around the globe. As an independent, merit-based institution, KAUST will employ many of the best practices from leading research universities and enable top researchers from around the globe and across all cultures to work together to solve challenging scientific and technological issues. The KAUST global research and education network will support diverse talents, both on its campus and at other premier universities and research institutions, through collaborative research agreements, grants, and student scholarship programs. The core campus, located on more than 36 million square meters on the Red Sea at Thuwal, is set to open in September 2009. For more information about KAUST, visit http://www.kaust.edu.sa

About Technische Universität München (TUM)

Technische Universität München (TUM) is one of Germany’s leading universities. It has roughly 420 professors, 6,500 academic and non-academic staff (including those at the university hospital “Rechts der Isar”), and 22,000 students. It focuses on the engineering sciences, natural sciences, life sciences, medicine, and economic sciences. After winning numerous awards, it was selected as an “Elite University” in 2006 by the Science Council (Wissenschaftsrat) and the German Research Foundation (DFG). The university’s global network includes an outpost in Singapore. TUM is dedicated to the ideal of a top-level research based entrepreneurial university. For more information about TUM, visit http://www.tum.de


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