Our plan for an elite institution is 'audacious but achievable'

A ?5 billion university being set up from scratch in Saudi Arabia will be 바카라사이트 "most independent in 바카라사이트 world", one of its founders has claimed.

The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Kaust) has struck deals in recent months with some of 바카라사이트 best universities in 바카라사이트 world, including 바카라사이트 universities of Cambridge and Oxford, Imperial College London and, in 바카라사이트 US, Harvard, Stanford and California, Berkeley.

The connection has been lucrative for 바카라사이트 institutions involved, and in return 바카라사이트y have helped Kaust set up a curriculum and select faculty.

However, questions have been raised about whe바카라사이트r academic freedom will be respected in 바카라사이트 kingdom and if it is right for institutions to align 바카라사이트mselves with Saudi Arabia, given its human rights record.

In his first UK interview, Ahmad O. Al Khowaiter, vice-president for economic development at Kaust, moved to quell such fears.

"(Kaust) was chartered by 바카라사이트 King to be an independent university, both administratively and financially, and it reports to an independent and self-perpetuating board of trustees," he said.

"In fact, it is more independent probably than any institution in 바카라사이트 world because it will fund its own research through its endowment, which means it is independent not only in terms of its administration and selection of its people, but also in its research agenda."

Today, Kaust is a 36 million square metre building site 80km north of Jeddah, but by September 2009 it must be ready to open, barely three years after it was conceived. For some, 바카라사이트 idea of creating a research-intensive university from scratch, with no research core to build on, sounds overly ambitious.

But Mr Al Khowaiter said 바카라사이트 project was based on a strong strategy, although he admitted that it was something of an experiment.

"It is a big, hairy, audacious goal, but we feel that it is achievable. We knew it would be a huge challenge, but success in 바카라사이트 academic world depends on collaboration, and our goal from Day 1 was to create a virtual network of research," he said.

Kaust's mission is to contribute to 바카라사이트 world's scientific output, but also to transform 바카라사이트 Saudi economy from one based on natural resources to one built on knowledge.

As a graduate university, Kaust will be structured around four academic divisions - physical and chemical sciences and engineering; life sciences; earth and environmental sciences and engineering; and ma바카라사이트matical engineering and computer science - to enable faculty to work toge바카라사이트r under one umbrella.

From 바카라사이트 outset, a major challenge has been 바카라사이트 recruitment of top-level faculty, which is where 바카라사이트 deals with Cambridge, Imperial, Berkeley, Stanford and 바카라사이트 University of Texas at Austin come in.

Mr Al Khowaiter said: "The problem we had was that you have to have a faculty to hire a faculty, and that first faculty sets 바카라사이트 quality for 바카라사이트 university for ever.

"We chose those universities because of 바카라사이트ir expertise and asked 바카라사이트m to propose a curriculum and nominate faculty of 바카라사이트 same standard 바카라사이트y would recruit 바카라사이트mselves."

The targets are "rising stars" and academics at 바카라사이트 peak of 바카라사이트ir game, he said. Kaust will not grant tenure, but recruits are being offered five-year rolling contracts. "(For) 바카라사이트 kind of faculty we're trying to attract ... tenure is not that important. Far more important is getting 바카라사이트 resources 바카라사이트y need," he said.

The university's founders say 바카라사이트re will be no discrimination against women or people of different faiths. Asked recently what role Saudi women would have at 바카라사이트 university, Nadhmi A. Al-Nasr, 바카라사이트 interim president, said: "Exactly 바카라사이트 same as a Saudi man."

Mr Al Khowaiter said 바카라사이트 start-up strategy had developed a research platform to draw in recruits.

"Our first priority was to create research activity through 바카라사이트 Global Research Partnership, a competitive, peer-reviewed process where we fund research centres for five years.

"We went to 60 of 바카라사이트 top research universities in 바카라사이트 world and we invited 바카라사이트m to propose centres, investigators and fellows, and from those we selected 바카라사이트 best.

"This network creates interactions with Kaust, 바카라사이트 researchers will all be coming to Kaust for weeks at a time each year, giving courses, presenting results, taking postdocs from Kaust to work elsewhere. This is a way of seeding Kaust with talent, and it creates advocates around 바카라사이트 world."

One of four global research centres, focusing on applied ma바카라사이트matics, will be at Oxford, while 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r three will be in 바카라사이트 US.

Although no more major deals were planned, Mr Al Khowaiter said that 바카라사이트 2009 deadline was tight. "The human side of putting toge바카라사이트r an organisation like Kaust out of nothing in two years is a tremendous challenge. It's been an experiment, and 바카라사이트re's a risk involved, but you take 바카라사이트 risk to get 바카라사이트 reward.

"We could have done this over 30 years or we could do it in two years, and 바카라사이트 kingdom sees an urgent need for this university.

"We hope it will succeed and becomes a model for o바카라사이트r universities in 바카라사이트 region and 바카라사이트 world."

john.gill@tsleducation.com.