King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Launches Worldwide Scholarship Program

Discovery Scholarship Recipients Will Receive Full Financial Support for Current First Degree Programs and for KAUST Graduate Programs

DHAHRAN, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sept. 7 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), a new world-class graduate research university under development in Saudi Arabia, today launched its scholarship program. Recruitment for qualified students is now underway around the world.

The KAUST Discovery Scholarship will provide full tuition, a living stipend, book and computer allowances, and summer and career enrichment programs to qualified science and technology students at their home institutions prior to the University's opening in September 2009. Upon graduation, these students will enter KAUST as master's degree students in September 2009 and 2010 and complete their studies on a fully funded scholarship.

"The launch of the KAUST Discovery Scholarship program is another important step in turning King Abdullah's vision of a world-class research university in Saudi Arabia into reality," said Nadhmi Al-Nasr, interim president of KAUST. "We are looking for exceptionally talented and motivated students -- led by an equally extraordinary roster of faculty -- who have a thirst for knowledge and an adventurous and creative spirit."

Mr. Al-Nasr also explained that the scholarship program is one part of a three-pronged strategy to build the University's intellectual capital. A second cornerstone KAUST initiative includes its Global Research Partnership, a new program that will provide a significant source of support to and collaboration with leading scientific research centers and individual scientists around the globe, along with research and educational collaborations with leading institutions. So far, KAUST has entered into formal partnerships with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), Institut Francais du Petrole in France, the National University of Singapore, the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IITB) and, most recently, the American University in Cairo.

The third part of the recruitment strategy is the Academic Excellence Alliances, an arrangement in which KAUST will bring faculty to its campus by offering them contracts through other leading research universities

When at KAUST, scholarship recipients will be able to focus on any of four main areas of research: resources, energy and environment; biosciences and engineering; materials science and engineering; and applied mathematics and computational science. The first cohort of between 250 and 350 students will grow to no more than 2,000 students at the University's maturity.

"KAUST students will become the next generation of scientists who will work to solve the world's increasingly complex needs," continued Mr. Al-Nasr. "And they will set a firm foundation for what we believe will be one of the most important centers of learning and discovery."

Students may apply for a KAUST Discovery Scholarship directly, or they may be nominated by a professor or administrator at their institution. All applicants must complete their online application and send or attach all required documents by November 9, 2007. Applications, scholarship criteria and additional information can be found on the KAUST Web site: http://www.kaust.edu.sa.

About KAUST

The 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 near Rabigh, is set to open in September 2009. For more information about KAUST, visit http://www.kaust.edu.sa .