About King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

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 that will also benefit the region and the world. KAUST is the realization of a decades-long vision of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

KAUST will be:

- a graduate-level research university
- supported by a multi-billion dollar endowment
- governed by an independent, self-perpetuating Board of Trustees
- merit-based and open to men and women from around the world

KAUST's core campus is located on more than 36 million square meters on the Red Sea at Thuwal – approximately 80 kilometers north of Saudi Arabia's second largest city, Jeddah.

KAUST will pursue its research agenda through four strategic research thrusts focused on areas of science and technology that are important to Saudi Arabia, the region, and the world.

1. Resources, Energy and Environment;

2.Biosciences and Bioengineering;

3. Materials Science and Engineering;

4. Applied Mathematics and Computational Science.

To support these thrusts, KAUST will establish multi-disciplinary Research Centers.

The University is set to open in September 2009 with degrees in 11 fields of study.