Cairo - Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah opened a 10-billion- dollar new university for science and technology Wednesday, in a ceremony attended by regional heads of state. "It is my desire that this new university becomes one of the world's great institutions of research ... on the basis of merit and excellence, collaboration and cooperation," King Adbdullah said in a statement posted to the university's website.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Jordanian King Abdullah II were among the guests at the ceremony.
Saudi newspapers have reported that the king has endowed the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) with 10 billion dollars as a "waqf," or religious endowment, making it would be among the richest universities in the world.
The university is set to be the only third-level institution in the country where men and women can study together. Education, and most public life in the Kingdom is strictly segregated.
Saudi religious conservatives have expressed unease about the university's attempts to attract international scholars.
The school's first 374 students from around the world, who are all pursuing graduate research degrees on full scholarships, have already moved in to their residences on the campus. Administrators hope that the university will have 2,000 students by 2020. The palm-lined campus can accommodate 20,000 residents.
The school has already struck partnerships with leading scientific research universities around the world, and with corporate giants Dow Chemical, General Electric and IBM, in keeping with its mission to conduct research that can be put to practical use.
King Abdullah has said he first conceived of the project 25 years ago. The campus was erected out of the desert in just over two years.
