Partners

We are grateful to have had developed meaningful partnerships over the years.

Thank you to our current sponsor, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and former sponsors, Saudi Aramco and King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals for their support of this fellowship.

King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) is a scientific government institution that supports and enhances scientific applied research. It coordinates the activities of government institutions and scientific research centers in accordance with the requirements of the development of the Kingdom.

It also cooperates with the relevant authorities in identifying national priorities and policies in technology and science so as to build a scientific and technological basis that serves development in agriculture, industry, mining, etc. It also aims at developing national competences and recruiting highly qualified specialists to help develop and control modern technology in order to serve development in the Kingdom. KACST comprises all the requirements of scientific research, such as laboratories, means of communications, information sources and all necessary facilities.


Saudi Aramco is the state-owned oil company of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and a fully integrated, global petroleum and chemicals enterprise.

Over the past 80 years they have become a world leader in hydrocarbons exploration, production, refining, distribution and marketing.

Saudi Aramco's oil and gas production infrastructure leads the industry in scale of production, operational reliability, and technical advances. Our plants and the people who run them make us the world's largest crude oil exporter, producing roughly one in every eight barrels of the world's oil supply.

Saudi Aramco contributed to the expansion of the Ibn Khaldun Fellowship program in 2013 adding an additional 5 fellowhsips per year.


KFUPM was established on 23 September 1963 by a Saudi royal decree as the College of Petroleum and Minerals providing high-level education about petroleum and minerals, two of the most-valuable natural resources in Saudi Arabia. It was elevated to university status in 1975. It was renamed after King Fahd in 1986. Among Saudi universities, its science and engineering programs are highly regarded.

MIT and KFUPM partnered on the Center for Clean Water and Clean Energy at MIT and KFUPM for about 10 years beginning in 2008. The Center's research focused on the production of fresh water and low-carbon energy and participating faculty from each Institution conduct research on topics of mutual interest. This collaboration allowed faculty and graduate students the opportunity to spend time at each Institution transferring technology, culture and promoting world-wide projects through Mechanical Engineering and other engineering related technologies. The experience of this collaboration led to curriculum development moving forward the academic teachings to compliment the ever-changing technological environment and its mechanical applications. The Center collaboration is also the origin of the Ibn Khaldun Fellowship.

Since partnering with MIT KFUPM has shifted to educating female as well as male students.