The 2022 PIF Saudi International golf tournament took place at the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC). Harold Varner III of the USA won the tournament, claiming the title and a $1,000,000 cash award. KAUST was among the official partners contributing to the event. Why it matters: This event highlights Saudi Arabia's growing role in international sports and KAUST's involvement in supporting such events.
Chess grandmaster Susan Polgar visited KAUST during the 2018 Winter Enrichment Program and played a simultaneous chess exhibition with 10 KAUST Chess Club members, winning against all of them. Polgar also delivered a lecture on how AI has transformed the chess world, referencing the 1997 IBM supercomputer victory over Garry Kasparov. She expressed being impressed by KAUST's facilities and the resources available to faculty and students. Why it matters: This event highlights KAUST's engagement with AI-related topics beyond traditional research, showcasing the university as a hub for diverse intellectual discussions.
KAUST hosted the KAUST Research Conference: Advances in Well Construction with Focus on Near-Wellbore Physics and Chemistry from November 7 to 9. The conference was co-chaired by Eric van Oort, a professor at UT Austin, and Tadeusz Patzek, director of the University’s Upstream Petroleum Engineering Research Center. Attendees included professors from the University of Queensland and UT Austin, and directors from GenesisRTS and Labyrinth Consulting Services, Inc. Why it matters: The conference facilitates international collaboration on advancements in petroleum engineering and well construction technologies, which are strategically important for Saudi Arabia.
KAUST held its third annual Plant Science Family Night on February 19, 2025, hosting over 1,000 attendees from the KAUST community. The event featured 25 interactive stations covering topics like composting, genetics, recycling, and irrigation. Participants included representatives from the Center of Excellence for Sustainable Food Security, the KAUST School, and other organizations. Why it matters: This event promotes STEM education and engagement with sustainability issues among families in the KAUST community.
KAUST startups, including Sadeem (a wireless sensor system for flood monitoring), have won top prizes in entrepreneurship competitions such as GITEX Future Stars, ArabNet Riyadh, and the Oqal Best Entrepreneur Award. Sadeem won Best Global Startup at GITEX and took home $100,000. KAUST supports early-stage startups through accelerator programs like TAQADAM and 9/10ths, as well as the KAUST Research & Technology Park. Why it matters: This success highlights KAUST's role in fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia, contributing to the Kingdom's growing startup ecosystem and economic diversification efforts.
KAUST held an Innovation & Economic Development Open House event on October 4 and 5. The event showcased industry partners in the KAUST Innovation Cluster, including Dow Chemical, SABIC, Saudi Aramco, and startups like FalconViz and NOMADD. Student groups like the Entrepreneurship Business & Innovation Group (eBIG) also participated, highlighting efforts to foster innovation within the KAUST community. Why it matters: This event demonstrates KAUST's ongoing commitment to fostering entrepreneurship and translating research into real-world applications, aligning with Saudi Arabia's broader economic diversification goals.
Red Sea Farms, a KAUST agriculture technology spinout, placed third at the Entrepreneurship World Cup (EWC) and won $150,000. The startup specializes in saltwater greenhouse technology to reduce the dependence on fresh water for irrigation. Red Sea Farms recently received $1.9 million USD in seed funding from KAUST's Innovation Fund and Research Products Development Company to build a pilot greenhouse. Why it matters: This award and funding will enable Red Sea Farms to scale their production of saltwater tomatoes and address food system sustainability in water-scarce regions.
KAUST recently hosted the European Embedded Control Institute's International Graduate School on Control (IGSC). As part of the event, KAUST Professor Jeff Shamma gave a one-week course on "Game Theory and Distributed Control". The course had over 30 registered attendees, including participants from KAUST, KACST, King Saud University, and nine European universities. Why it matters: Hosting international events like IGSC enhances KAUST's global reputation, fosters collaboration opportunities, and exposes visiting researchers to KAUST's research environment.