It combines the university’s expertise with that of national oil giant Saudi Aramco and the world’s leading technology companies.
The 55-hectare site north of Dhahran was set up six years ago to focus on what otherwise would have been scattered assets of various organizations and to create a nucleus for industrial research and development. It creates an infrastructure for cooperation and provides development, production and marketing support services. Innovation that originates from academic research is coupled with expertise of commercial companies in order to satisfy the needs of the Kingdom’s substantial oil-and-gas production.
“When we first started, we had a clear vision that it would be a hub for the oil, gas and petrochemical industries,” KFUPM rector Dr. Khalid S. Al-Sultan told Arab News recently. “From Day 1, we knew that oil, gas and petrochemicals were the most important industries for the Kingdom, and we wanted to establish a very focused research center. We did not want companies to be working in research and development in different areas where they would probably not have a theme or synergy.”
The endeavor actually consists of six entities operating under the Dhahran Techno Valley Company (DTVC), including King Abdullah Science Park (KASP); Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Science and Technology Center (SciTech); Innovation Center; Business Incubator; Liaison Office and Consultancy Services Center.
Al-Sultan noted the enthusiastic support the initiative has received from the royal family, the Ministry of Higher Education, Saudi Aramco as well as world-leading oilfield equipment providers and suppliers.
“I am confident Dhahran Techno Valley will actively create the optimal ecosystem for this new center which, in turn, is expected to offer research opportunities to graduate and undergraduate students, faculty and researchers in different focus areas, ranging from petrophysics, drilling, geomechanics, fluids and production technology,” Al-Sultan said, noting almost all the available slots have already been taken.
“While Schlumberger, Yokogawa and Baker Hughes have already built their facilities and are operational, Honeywell will be inaugurating its center in April. Halliburton, Sipchem, Amiantit, Weatherford, Rosen and General Electric are in the advanced stages of construction and will be operational late this year or early next year,” he said.
“No single science park in the world matches Dhahran Techno Valley and the number of companies that have research-and-development centers in one place. Yes, you will find that these companies have their own research centers, but they are in different places. Here all of them are in one place. This is incredible. We have only three lots remaining. Everything else is filled up. It is a major contribution to the country and a major contribution to the oil, gas and petrochemical industries.”
The benefits of Dhahran Techno Valley are far reaching.
“One of the major objectives is commercialization of research, both in terms of focusing the university’s endeavors toward commercially feasible areas of study and minimizing the transition period between technological innovation and its commercial deployment,” Al-Sultan said. “It also will provide incubator programs to promote emerging small businesses and enterprises with much-needed technical, financial and administrative support.”
Al-Sultan said the initiative is a good fit with KFUPM’s mission.
“The industrial presence will benefit students and provide significant real-world exposure. It will also generate employment opportunities for students both during their courses of study as well as upon graduation and will contribute to these business enterprises,” he said.
He reiterated KFUPM is fully committed to building partnerships between academia and industry.
“The university enjoys tremendous support from the government of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Crown Prince Naif and continuous encouragement from Minister of Higher Education Dr. Khalid Al-Anqari. We are also fully confident that our partners in the industrial sector support KFUPM’s aim of becoming a world-class university with a very strong commitment to technology development. Together we can move forward and be more effective and successful in shaping the future of our beloved Kingdom. I would not be surprised to see the development of many products by our own people here at the Dhahran Techno Valley that will eventually be exported.”
Al-Sultan estimates the investment Dhahran Techno Valley has already drawn to the Kingdom to be in excess of $700 million and sees more benefits down the line. “Frankly speaking, we don’t ask companies to give us their investment figure; but you can do the calculations yourself. For instance, we are talking about 17 slots; each one has a major building with high-tech equipment. I don’t think the investment in each is less than $35-40 million, and so we are talking about $600-700 million.”