Championing sustainability through academic-industry partnerships

Achieving meaningful progress on sustainability requires a strong partnership between academia and industry. Working together, industry and higher education institutions can take innovative ideas and research off campus and roll them out in the real world, where they can create meaningful change. Even with universities and industry sharing long-term sustainability values, their short-term priorities and goals – especially in the private sector – may differ. Forward-thinking collaboration across sectors is essential to demonstrate that investing in sustainability delivers benefits not only for the environment but also for economic development. 

At Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University (PSAU) in Saudi Arabia, every aspect of operations is orientated towards sustainability. The university is building a portfolio of industry partnerships to support its sustainability agenda – partnerships that all began with conversations around shared interests and efforts from PSAU’s many sustainability advocates. “It is all about communication,” says Malek Alduhaymi, assistant professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at PSAU. “One of the challenges is how you can convince people that green is better.” For example, universities can advocate for sustainability by encouraging energy companies to adopt carbon-capture mechanisms and alternative methodologies in the production process.

Strategic partnerships can generate significant wins for sustainability. By partnering with the National Energy Services Company – known as Tarshid – PSAU launched a building management systems project that dramatically reduced emissions from air-conditioning use. “We helped cut it by 30 per cent. That is a massive win for sustainability,” says Alduhaymi.

Ali Aldrees, associate professor and dean of PSAU’s College of Engineering, says the PSAU team is keen to support businesses in meeting their regulatory requirements. For example, it helped a partner organisation that was being routinely fined for emissions build a roadmap towards regulatory compliance. “That is how we engage with industry,” says Aldrees. “We do it as volunteers to help industry achieve sustainability.”

Every department at PSAU has a representative who reaches out to partners and manages the relationship, aligning projects with PSAU’s sustainability goals. The Department of Civil Engineering has established relationships with companies such as Luyten, which specialises in 3D construction printing, to work on 3D-printed concrete that supports sustainable construction. 

Similarly, through its Department of Electrical Engineering, PSAU recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese smart energy multinational company, CHINT, to collaborate on advancing research and innovation. They will undertake joint research and development projects, provide technical and operational consultancy services, support manufacturing businesses in Saudi Arabia and establish a training and development programme to provide opportunities for PSAU students and faculty members, as well as local professionals.

The founder of the Material Composites Company, Haytham Alodan, can relate to both sides of the industry-academic partnership. He has had considerable experience in academia as an assistant research professor at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia. Alodan’s company focuses on recycling polyvinyl chloride and combining it with palm waste to produce sustainable materials for indoor and outdoor use. He believes that industry and academia should work hand in hand, not only in developing research innovations but also in maintaining the talent pipeline that will be required to drive sustainability in the workplace. 

“Industry is based on human capabilities,” Alodan says. “If you don’t have the talent through people graduating from universities, it will be difficult for these industries to grow, innovate and develop new ways of expanding and applying their solutions.” According to Alodan, a lack of adequately trained talent, who can adapt and apply theoretical knowledge in the real world, may create significant problems for the private sector.

Maintaining a dialogue with industry partners allows universities to design courses and teaching experiences that prepare students for the 21st-century workplace. Ahmed Shaikh, sales and marketing specialist at Al Arabia Industrial Gas, is an advocate for student placement schemes and practical training programmes. He describes these partnerships as a learning experience for all. Work placements give students hands-on industry experience, while businesses benefit from students’ enthusiasm and creativity. 

Al Arabia Industrial Gas produces a number of different products for commercial applications, so the challenge lies in bringing students up to speed on the nature of the business, says Shaikh. The students tend to have many questions, and those help inform curriculum development. The support of PSAU’s academic staff has enabled the company to expand its student work placement programmes. 

PSAU ensures that students are equipped with practical exposure to enhance their career readiness after they graduate. Abdullah Al-Tamimi, strategic projects specialist at Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR), describes PSAU’s partnership with SAR as equally beneficial for the company, the university and students. “I see a lot of engagement and collaboration, and I am seeing that the university wants the best outcomes for its students,” says Al-Tamimi. 

Graduate employability is one measure of success for PSAU’s industry partnerships. But the university’s leadership recognises that success can also be measured in the innovations we see in everyday life, such as AI tools to encourage fuel-efficient driving and sustainable construction methods and materials. Success is especially reflected in the development of an industry-academia ecosystem that supports sustainability and innovation, which is already in place at PSAU and growing fast.

Find out more about Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University.

Find out more about the PSAU Global South Partnership.