KFUPM-MIT Collaboration Agreement

HE Rector Khalid S. Al-Sultan and Center Director Professor John H. Lienhard signing the research collaboration contract

General

The Mechanical Engineering Department at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Mechanical Engineering Department at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals agreed to form a seven year joint collaboration in research and educational programs. The collaboration agreement is composed of two main components: research programs and education. Faculty and students involved in this collaboration, from both institutions, will conduct research and develop academic programs through projects in areas of strategic importance to Saudi Arabia and to disseminate knowledge, and transfer technologies for tackling problems associated with the progress of knowledge based economy. In addition, an applied aspect of this effort will focus on solving current problems facing today’s industry. The education component allows for an exchange of students and faculty to improve teaching and enhance academic programs.

An agreement was signed with MIT where a collaboration between Mechanical Engineering Department of KFUPM and Mechanical Engineering Department of MIT will form teams that would jointly research and teaching activities where their discussions helped set general directions for cooperation in research among these are:

• Research areas such as materials, water desalination, nanotechnology and design and manufacturing cut across all the areas. Special focus will be on developing new technologies for water desalination and renewable energy.

• The research projects should be more of multi-disciplinary nature and should serve the needs of KSA and the world community at large.

• ME_KFUPM and ME_ MIT need to come up with a strategy for hiring more graduate students to ensure the success of the program.

Programs

The research programs agreed upon are:

• Clean Water

• Clean Energy

• Design, Manufacturing and Nanotechnology

The educational program includes mutual course development in several multidisciplinary areas starting with Mechatronics and Design at all levels of the ME Curriculum.

Several meetings were held between faculty and administrators from both institutions during the last two years. Two teams from ME-MIT visited KFUPM during this academic year where a series of meetings were held with: HE the Rector, Vice Rectors, Deans, ME Chairman, ME-KFUPM executive committee and ME faculty members. In addition, HE the Rector Visited MIT in Summer 2007 and a group of ME faculty visited MIT during the Inter-semester break.

The agreement was signed by HE Prof. Khaled Al-Sultan, Rector of KFUPM and Professor John Leinhard from ME_MIT on the 15 th of June 2008.

Expected Deliverables

Among the expected deliverables of the collaboration program are:

• Jointly published papers in international journals and conferences.

• Development of innovative new technologies including patents.

• Establishment of basic research labs in Strategic Areas of importance to Saudi Arabia.

• For each research project: annual progress reports prior to the approval of the next year’s funding; and a final technical report that describe the achievements of the project.

• For each education project will submit: annual progress reports prior to the approval of the next year’s funding; and a final technical report that describe the achievements of the project.

• Access of students at KFUPM and MIT to faculty of both institutions.

• Newly developed courses at KFUPM.

• Newly developed undergraduate design courses at KFUPM.

• Annual workshops to be held at KFUPM each January when the MIT faculty and students are visiting KFUPM.