Our Research Pillars: Driving Innovation and Collaboration
By focusing on interdisciplinary research and strategic partnerships, KFUPM aims to tackle major societal challenges and contributing to the advancement of science and technology.
KFUPM has developed an innovation-driven research strategy built around four key factors that reflect its recent transformation and future goals. This strategy focuses on fostering collaboration, addressing major challenges, and advancing groundbreaking research.
Innovation-Based Research Strategy
KFUPM’s innovation-driven research strategy is built upon four key pillars.
Collaboration
and Partnerships
Research
for Humanity
Interdisciplinary
Research
Aligning with
National Priorities
Aligning with
Global Priorities
Pillar 1 - Clear Purpose
which is to conduct research that contributes positively to the well-being of humanity and society, and therefore focuses on projects (whether abstract or applied) that will eventually translate into an apparatus, equipment, processes, chemicals, materials, or the likes. The University considers other indicators, such as the number of publications, citations, and patents, as outcomes and by-products of this clear purpose, rather than being objectives on their own.
Pillar 2 - Focus on Grand Challenges
The University believes that its research activities must solve grand challenges facing humanity, such as the shortage of water, hunger, access to energy, and similar global issues. Therefore, it prioritizes the pursuit of solutions to these grand challenges and believes that it is within the incremental steps to these grand challenges that other incremental useful research outcomes will materialize.Pillar 3 - All-inclusive Participation
Every faculty member at the University must contribute to conducting research, such that KFUPM is a research university that does teaching, rather than being a teaching university that does research.
Pillar 4 - Interdisciplinary Contribution
Wherein the focus of KFUPM research is primarily on the intersection of different disciplines. As the University believes that it is the nexus of the disciplines that leads to cutting-edge, useful research that benefits humanity.
Pillar 5 - Collaboration and Partnerships
The University works closely with research partners, such as other academic institutions, research centers, technology developers, end users, governmental and regulatory agencies, and civic organizations to develop its projects and propel them forward through implementation in order to achieve desired societal impact.
The University research aligns with the four national focus areas:
National Focus Area
Energy and Industrial Leadership
National Priority
- Clean, Economic Hydrogen
- Crude Oil-to-Chemical Conversion
- EVs and EV Batteries
- Geoenergy Leadership
- Nuclear Energy
- Renewable Energy
National Focus Area
Sustainable Environment and Essential Needs
National Priority
- Biodiversity
- Innovative Water Research
- Net Zero Emissions
- Reuse of Materials and Products in Industry
National Focus Area
Economies of the Future
National Priority
- Automation of Logistics
- Cognitive Cities
- FinTech
- Gaming and Esports
- Industrial Robots
- Net Zero Aviation
- New Space Leadership
National Focus Area
Health and Wellness
National Priority
- Health and Bioengineering Innovation
