Dear Colleagues,
As we begin 2025, we mark a key milestone — 18 months since the launch of our Accelerating Impact Strategy by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Prime Minister, and Chairman of the KAUST Board of Trustees.
This transformative initiative has repositioned KAUST to align with the Kingdom’s national priorities, fostering impactful partnerships and driving research-focused sustainability efforts and entrepreneurship.
In my five months as President, I have witnessed the resilience and remarkable achievements of the KAUST community. Together, through the dedicated engagement of our faculty and professional staff in the change management process, we have made significant progress:
- Development and approval of institutional KPIs.
- Development of a Partnership Framework
- Establishment of the Centers of Excellence.
- Securing $100 million in R&D funding from Aramco.
- Meeting optimization targets.
- Obtaining Board approval for our operating plan. These milestones underscore our collective determination and the strength of our shared vision. We are emerging from the implementation process as a stronger, more focused, aligned, and transparent organization.
However, your ongoing feedback remains essential for KAUST’s leadership team as we continue improving communication and collaboration throughout this transition. Once again, I invite you to share your insights through a brief survey.
The survey, which is conducted by a third-party, is open until February 13, will help us assess our progress and ensure we continue working effectively toward our shared goals. Your feedback is vital in shaping our future, and I look forward to hearing from you and working together to accelerate our strategic impact.
President Sir Edward Byrne AC FMedSci