Culture & Education | Thursday 24 March, 2016 7:40 am |

Members of the advisory board of the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) held a two-day meeting here ending Tuesday on developing research, improving academic outcomes and building entrepreneurial thinking.

The 19th meeting of the board, consisting of leading local and international businesspeople and academics, held the discussions through several committees, according to Khaled S. Al-Sultan, KFUPM’s rector.
Jean-Lou Chameau, president of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and an advisory board member, said KFUPM was moving ahead rapidly in terms of scientific research and had seen the graduation of students who have taken up leading positions in industry.
Chameau said KFUPM, despite its relative youth, had invested in top quality infrastructure that would ensure its growth over the coming years. He praised developments taking place at Dhahran Technology Valley, which was helping the university commercialize its scientific research.
He said the two universities were the country’s leaders in terms of research published in scientific journals, which would assist in developing the country’s economy.
Didier Houssin, chairman and chief executive officer of the French Institute of Petroleum, said KFUPM was among the world’s leaders in terms of registering patents. 
“The next step we have to take is ensure that these patents are transformed into industrial products that contribute to the development of the Kingdom and job creation,” he said.
The advisory board provides KFUPM senior management with “a global perspective on trends and issues that may affect the university,” according to its website.
Since its founding in 2007, the board’s members have included renowned academics and some of the most influential local and international corporate figures. 
The inaugural meeting was held in March 2007, with biannual meetings in Saudi Arabia and abroad.