THE Dow Chemical Company, a world leader in science and technology, has unveiled the vision for its proposed Middle East and Africa Research and Development (R&D) Centre at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Kaust) at the first Dow Innovation Summit held on campus.
The summit was the culmination of the first phase of steps taken to further develop the multi-year, multi-million dollar R&D collaboration announced in September 2009.
The summit was attended by students, faculty and staff from the Kaust community. The events included a keynote speech by Kaust president Professor Choon Fong Shih, followed by a number of presentations from senior Dow executives, all serving to reinforce the spirit of collaboration and commitment at the heart of the Dow-Kaust partnership.
The main component on the second day was the Dow Career Day, a recruitment event aimed to identify qualified Kaust candidates for the Dow R&D Centre to be housed at the Research Park. Summit events included technical presentations by Dow scientists with expertise in water science, oil and gas R&D and infrastructure technologies – three areas where Dow will focus its research at Kaust. Over 50 top candidates were interviewed at the career event.
“Kaust and Dow have similar values. We speak the same language. We have the same objectives.” said president Shih. “We are committed to jointly apply technology for the betterment of mankind, with particular emphasis on advancements dear to the Saudi community at large…and we are committed to nurture industry affiliations that equip graduates with the knowledge and professional skills to make a meaningful difference in their chosen careers.
We will look back on this day as a milestone in our shared mission to grow the kingdom’s intellectual and human resources, while delivering innovations that drive sustainable economic development in the kingdom.”
Dow’s R&D Centre is aligned with Dow’s growth strategy as a science and technology-oriented company. Newly appointed Dow Middle East president, Henry Roth says: “Any profit-driven, private company acknowledges Saudi Arabia’s key role in this region’s growth. Dow has been present in the kingdom for over 30 years, through our products, services and various joint ventures.
Our collaboration with a distinguished partner like Kaust reflects our commitment to intellectual growth in Saudi Arabia, but also demonstrates a commitment to listen to our private and public stakeholders – a commitment to serve our customers and community equally – to address meaningful challenges, together.”
Senior executives speaking on behalf of Dow included Dow vice president for Sustainability and Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) Neil Hawkins, Dow’s R&D director for Europe, India, Middle East and Africa Ernesto Occhiello and Human Resources director for Middle East and Africa Stefan Vos.
“I am so thoroughly impressed with the University and the vision to which it aspires,” says Hawkins. “At Dow, we fundamentally believe that Sustainability is good business. From developing innovations that improve daily life, to sustaining the health of our planet and employees, Dow has been setting the Sustainability agenda in the communities where we operate ever since our company was founded 114 years ago. Dow’s R&D Centre at Kaust is a remarkable addition to this storied history.”
Hawkins announced the Dow Sustainability Innovation Award – an annual scholarship competition that Dow selectively administers at leading academic institutions around the world to foster innovation. By launching the sustainability award at Kaust, the University would join the ranks of Cambridge University in the UK, University of California – Berkeley and University of Michigan in the US, and Peking University in China.
Ernesto Occhiello, Dow R&D director for Europe, India, Middle East and Africa, who announced the appointment of Henk Pool as R&D director for the centre at Kaust, put Dow’s local and global R&D activities in the context of global challenges being address by chemistry.
“This year, we will invest over $1.6 billion in over 500 projects that span the globe and address the world’s most pressing challenges – health, energy, infrastructure and consumerism. We could have decided to expand our knowledge base and develop our R&D capabilities anywhere in the world. We chose Kaust for its outstanding talent and unparallel facilities.
The Dow R&D Centre will be a base from which we can deliver on the mutual objectives of key customers and value chain partners, thereby delivering value growth and superior technical services and contributing to the subsequent transformation of Saudi Arabia into a knowledge-based economy.”
Dow’s presence in Saudi Arabia began with two subsequent joint ventures with E A Juffali & Brothers, Arabian Chemical Company Ltd, manufacturing Styrofoam brand insulation (Jeddah) and latex (Jubail). In 2007, Dow and Saudi Aramco signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the construction, ownership and operation of a world-scale chemicals and plastics production complex in Saudi Arabia, named the Ras Tanura Integrated Project (RTIP).
