Next-Generation Research University: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Enters Relationship With SAP
SAP® Solutions Provide Business Platform for New International Research University in Saudi Arabia
ORLANDO, Fla. and JEDDAH, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - October 29, 2008 - SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) today announced that King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) has selected a broad range of SAP® applications to support student-facing functions, main university administrative functions, and the information-sharing and integration needs of its collaborative, global research centers that focus on discovery and innovation in the areas of science and technology. KAUST, a new international, graduate-level research university dedicated to inspiring a new age of scientific achievement, selected SAP over Oracle and others to help achieve its vision of applying science and technology to problems of human need, social advancement and economic development in Saudi Arabia, across the Middle-East and around the world. The announcement was made at Educause 2008, a conference for higher education information technology professionals, being held Oct. 28–31 in Orlando, Florida.
The strategic decision to standardize its IT landscape on SAP solutions provides KAUST with a comprehensive business platform for all of its operations. The implementation began on July 1, 2008, after contract agreements had been secured in the second quarter. A team of highly qualified IT professionals will take care of the software implementation, one of the largest and most complex IT projects in the Middle East.
Scheduled to open in September 2009, KAUST will create a collaborative community of passionate and talented researchers from around the world that will be organized and recruited into interdisciplinary research centers. The first four KAUST research thrusts will focus on the areas of resources, energy and environment; materials science and engineering; bioscience and bioengineering; and applied mathematics and computer sciences and engineering. These initial focus areas will support the existing industries in the Kingdom, the development of future knowledge-based industries, the Kingdom’s social and economic needs, and potential regional and international impact.
“KAUST is being built from the ground up with no legacy systems,” said Majid Alghaslan, interim chief information officer, KAUST. “This is a tremendous opportunity for the university in the application of advanced technology that will enable scientific discovery and mastery. We consider SAP a valuable partner and enabler for our advanced service-oriented architecture that will also be sustainable and able to harmonize with all our other business applications. In fact, KAUST is more than just a usual university. It is a ‘City of Science’ that we are building for the future of Saudi Arabia and the world.”
KAUST will leverage the integrated end-to-end industry process delivered by SAP® Business Suite applications, including the SAP® Real Estate Management application, for the comprehensive support of university facility development, construction, operations, service and maintenance. Within the SAP® for Higher Education & Research solution portfolio, the SAP® Student Lifecycle Management application will support a range of university student administrative functions—from recruitment and admission to schedule building, registration, grading and student accounting. The SAP NetWeaver® technology platform will help KAUST accelerate application integration and business process composition while improving user access to relevant and reliable information across collaborative research frameworks.
“At SAP we have a long-standing tradition of working with leading research institutions from around the globe, including the Centre national de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in France, Duke University and Health System and the Johns Hopkins University and Medical Centers in the United States, the University of Toronto in Canada and the National University of Singapore—among many others—to help them achieve their mission of supporting world-class research, teaching and learning,” said Harald Pitz, vice president, Global Higher Education and Research, SAP. “KAUST has great vision, and we are proud to be its technology in helping address scientific and technological challenges in Saudi Arabia and around the world.”
About KAUST
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) is being built in Saudi Arabia as an international, graduate-level research university dedicated to inspiring a new age of scientific achievement in the Kingdom, in the region and around the globe. As an independent, merit-based institution, KAUST will employ many of the best practices from leading research universities and enable top researchers from around the globe and across all cultures to work together to solve challenging scientific and technological issues. The KAUST global research and education network will support diverse talents, both on its campus and at other premiere universities and research institutions, through collaborative research agreements, grants, and student scholarship programs. KAUST will be merit-based, open to men and women from all cultures around the world, and governed by an independent, self-perpetuating Board of Trustees. The core campus, located on more than 36 million square meters on the Red Sea at Thuwal, is set to open in September 2009. For more information about KAUST, visit www.kaust.edu.sa.
About SAP® for Higher Education & Research (SAP for HE&R)
The SAP® for Higher Education & Research (SAP for HE&R) solution portfolio is designed to meet the unique demands of universities, research institutions, and private or public agencies managing education. The portfolio includes the SAP® Student Lifecycle Management application, which manages the student academic cycle and enhances the student experience while integrating with back-end administrative operations. It also provides an integrated set of solutions to help facilitate research, teaching and study, as well as to manage core educational administration processes, including grants management, student information management, funds management, personnel management, procurement, CRM, and financial and managerial accounting. SAP for HE&R helps to ensure the efficient delivery of the total educational enterprise—from back-office, to student and staff services, to classrooms and the laboratory. Additional information available at www.sap.com/solutions/industry/highered.
About SAP
SAP is the world’s leading provider of business software(*), offering applications and services that enable companies of all sizes and in more than 25 industries to become best-run businesses. With approximately 76,000 customers (includes customers from the acquisition of Business Objects) in over 120 countries, the company is listed on several exchanges, including the Frankfurt stock exchange and NYSE, under the symbol “SAP.” (For more information, visit www.sap.com)
(*) SAP defines business software as comprising enterprise resource planning and related applications.
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