Saee, a KAUST-supported Saudi startup based in Jeddah, aims to disrupt last-mile delivery in Saudi Arabia by addressing challenges like delays and cash-on-delivery (COD) issues. They offer services such as fast COD consolidation, flexible dispatch to freelancers, and warehouse management. Saee also introduces a new concept called Cash Before Delivery (CBD) to improve cash flow for e-commerce platforms. Why it matters: This aims to solve a key bottleneck for e-commerce growth in Saudi Arabia, where COD is prevalent and creates financial inefficiencies.
KAUST startup Saee, a last-mile delivery company, was recently acquired by Estimkan Holding. Co-founded by KAUST alumnus Dr. Tariq Alturkestani, Saee benefited from KAUST's support through programs like the KGSP and the TAQADAM Startup Accelerator. Saee evolved from a carpooling app for women into a logistics solution for parcel delivery, adapting to the changing Saudi market. Why it matters: The success of Saee demonstrates KAUST's increasing role in fostering entrepreneurship and contributing to Saudi Vision 2030 by developing innovative ventures.
Professor Pascal Saikaly of KAUST has been named the 2024 International Honorary Member of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (AAEES). Saikaly was selected for his contributions to the advancement of environmental protection, specifically his work in developing sustainable biotechnologies for wastewater reclamation and reuse. He developed a patented technology for a decentralized wastewater recycling plant demonstrated at full scale in Saudi Arabia. Why it matters: This award recognizes important work in sustainable wastewater treatment, an area of critical importance for water-scarce regions like Saudi Arabia.
KAUST spinout Sadeem, which develops wireless environmental sensing systems, has secured $2.6 million in co-investment from the KAUST Innovation Fund and Saudi Aramco's Wa'ed Ventures. The funding will support product updates, development of new monitoring technologies, and business development. Sadeem's technology is used in cities including Mexico City and Texas for flood, traffic, weather, and air quality monitoring. Why it matters: The investment highlights the growing venture capital ecosystem in Saudi Arabia and will allow Sadeem to further develop its sensor technology for environmental monitoring and disaster prevention.
Emaar, The Economic City (EEC) and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on various areas, including community lifestyle, education, transportation, and smart city solutions. The agreement aims to align with KAUST’s research pillars and KAEC’s business strategy. The collaboration also seeks to support the Kingdom's sustainable development goals and drive innovation. Why it matters: This partnership between a leading economic city developer and a top research university in Saudi Arabia has the potential to foster innovation, create jobs, and improve the quality of life in the region, contributing to the goals of Vision 2030.
The paper introduces Sadeed, a fine-tuned decoder-only language model based on the Kuwain 1.5B Hennara model, for improved Arabic text diacritization. Sadeed is fine-tuned on high-quality diacritized datasets and achieves competitive results compared to larger proprietary models. The authors also introduce SadeedDiac-25, a new benchmark for fairer evaluation of Arabic diacritization across diverse text genres. Why it matters: This work advances Arabic NLP by providing both a competitive diacritization model and a more robust evaluation benchmark, facilitating further research and development in the field.
MBZUAI alumnus Numan Saeed is applying machine learning to medical imaging and cancer research as a research scientist at the University. He collaborates with UAE hospitals like Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City and Cleveland Clinic to build datasets and gather clinical feedback. Saeed's team is developing a model focused on head and neck cancer using the HECKTOR dataset and local data. Why it matters: This research contributes to the UAE's healthcare ambitions by enabling earlier diagnosis and personalized care through AI-driven analysis of medical images.