King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), scheduled to open in September, 2009, will be an international and graduate-level research university in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Research at KAUST will focus on areas that are important to the future of Saudi Arabia, the region and the world and will take place in world-class facilities serving students, researchers and faculty in disciplines such as energy and environment; water desalination; industrial biotechnology, and scientific computing. All classes at KAUST will be conducted in English. KAUST will create and support the highest standards of scholarship through merit-based opportunities for males and females from around the world. The Launching of the mega project of KAUST was announced by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud at Taif Citizens' Festival to celebrate the King's visit to the Province in Jumada Al-Thani 1427 AH. As an independent university governed by a self-perpetuating Board of Trustees and supported by a multi-billion dollar endowment, KAUST will converge the best minds – based strictly on merit – and create a collaborative community of passionate and talented researchers from around the world. The University will act as a catalyst for research that applies science and technology to problems of human need, social advancement, and economic development in Saudi Arabia, across the region, and around the globe, according to a report of KAUST. The University is being developed in a unique coastal location on the eastern shore of the Red Sea at Thuwal, approximately 80 kilometers north of Jeddah and approximately an hour north of Makkah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The KAUST campus and community are situated in a unique coastal location near the fishing village of Thuwal, 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Jeddah. The total area spans more than 36 million square meters, including a unique coral reef ecosystem that the University will preserve as a marine sanctuary. --MORE
