KACST seeks US technical cooperation for its research projects

Mohammed Rasooldeen
KACST President Prince Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed Al-Saud and US Secretary of Energy Ernest J. Moniz after their discussions at the KACST headquarters in Riyadh on Wednesday.

RIYADH: King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) President Prince Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed Al-Saud told visiting US Secretary of Energy Ernest J. Moniz that the city is keen to develop scientific and technical partnerships with several American universities and research centers.
Prince Turki said this during discussions with Moniz on Wednesday at the KACST headquarters in Riyadh.
Highlighting existing cooperation between the United States and the Kingdom, the KACST president said the city already has some programs with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, the University of California at Berkeley, California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and Harvard University. He added that these programs have contributed to the enrollment of more than 60 researchers from the city for master’s and doctoral degrees at these facilities.
Prince Turki said the city’s programs are in line with the Kingdom’s 2030 Vision and the National Transformation Program (NTP) 2020.
The prince explained to Moniz about some of the city’s plans and programs, including the solar-run water desalination project in Al-Khafji, a solar-run electric power generation plant with 50 megawatts in Layla in Al-Aflaj Province, and a desalination and cooling project using solar energy to be implemented in collaboration with King Abdullah University for Science and Technology.
As secretary of energy, Moniz is tasked with implementing critical Department of Energy missions in support of US President Barack Obama’s goals of growing the economy, enhancing security and protecting the environment. This encompasses advancing the president’s energy strategy, maintaining nuclear deterrence, reducing the nuclear danger, promoting American leadership in science and clean energy technology innovation, cleaning up the legacy of the cold war and strengthening management and performance.
KACST has allocated SR263.2 million ($70.16 million) for 147 research projects within the Kingdom. In cooperation with the Kingdom’s national plan to work for a knowledge-based economy, the committee for the National Plan for Science, Technology and Innovation (NPSTI) has allocated around 85 percent of its funds for research in mega projects that would benefit both researchers and the Kingdom.