Saudi Arabia - Towards a Knowledge Economy

KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology) is part of a long-standing vision of The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah. His vision – to build a platform for the exaltation of Knowledge itself.

Saudi's National day, the 23rd September, was imbued with even greater significance this year with the KAUST inauguration ceremony, a two-day event celebrating all aspects of KAUST as well as milestones in the history of Arabic, Islamic and world science.

Situated in a cultural and religious coastal hotspot with access to the Red Sea, the University is home to an international community – representing about 60 countries – with a united global vision focused on sustainable development. In addition to its LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certification, KAUST's long-term plan dedicated to the preservation of the campus grounds and its surrounding natural habitat, including 182,988,000 square feet of coral reef, demonstrates the University's environmental commitment.

And, this world class research institution provides just one aspect to King Abdullah's vision to promote the rising economy and enable social and economic growth throughout the Kingdom; even more ambitious is King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), located in Rabigh, just north of the commercial hub of Jeddah, the second-largest city in Saudi Arabia.

The project, which was initiated in 2006, will be built over a 20-year period to respond to the Kingdom's evolving market needs and ongoing development. On its website, the envisioned City is characterised as 'sophisticated live-work-play environment' and, to its envoy, a symbol of Arabia at a crossroads.

KAEC is no ordinary construction project, requiring meticulous planning to realise its four major phases of development by 2025. Emaar, the company that is spearheading the development, has acknowledged that completion of the city may be delayed beyond its projected deadline, giving further cogency to reports of a notable slowdown in the pace of the development.

Furthermore, whether KAUST and the nearby Economic City will ultimately be for the 'greater good' of the community, as King Abdullah's vision has foretold, remains to be seen.

Jon Sfakianakis, chief economist at the Riyadh-based Banque has said that 'The economic cities (undergoing development throughout the Kingdom) need to still prove themselves as viable and autonomous entities that can create ample business and employment opportunities mainly for Saudis.' Other sceptics have warned of the dangers they claim KAUST's self-contained 'bubble' environment pose to its faculty and students – although, perhaps one could say the same of all academic 'institutions' by their very nature.

Whatever the doubts, though, there is real potential for both KAUST and, in time, KAEC to nurture the advance of science and economic development in the Saudi Kingdom and beyond.

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