Research & Innovation

Overview of the Deanship of Scientific Research, Innovation, and Graduate Studies

The Deanship of Scientific Research, Innovation, and Graduate Studies (DSRIGS) at UPM serves to advance the university’s strategic mission and goals in applied research, innovation, and graduate studies. Guided by a vision to position the university as a leading regional institution in applied research, the Deanship plays a transformative role in addressing community-driven challenges with industry relevance, and academic excellence. Our multidisciplinary environment and research focus areas promote impactful and applied research, supporting the development of niche and market-oriented graduate programs, and empowers faculty and students to contribute to the national knowledge economy. Additionally, we encourage collaboration across different sectors to generate innovative solutions that serve societal needs and support national development priorities, including Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.

Moreover, DSRIGS is committed to cultivating a culture of excellence, innovation, and academic integrity, providing robust support for researchers, facilitates access to diverse funding opportunities, and strengthens the infrastructure and operational ecosystem needed for evolving research and innovation. It also promotes sustainability-focused initiatives, student research engagement, and entrepreneurship through mentorship, technology transfer, and startup opportunities. Through strategic leadership, future-aligned initiatives, and community engagement, the DSRIGS aspires to elevate the university’s research profile, expand its regional and international partnerships, and prepare the next generation of scholars, innovators, and policymakers.

Acting Dean, Deanship of Scientific Research, Innovation, and Graduate Studies

Key Achievements

Awarded with an in-kind Research Grant from EON Reality for Developing Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Metaverse for Applied Research & Academics.

Established the Research InitiativeS (RIS) Internal Research Grants Program with over 30 accepted and submitted proposals.

Collaboration and Partnerships with reputable national and international institutions.

University continuous commitment to support Research & Innovation growth & planning.

Establishment of the University Scientific Council.

15 policies, procedures and manuals published and in development.

Awarded 25 research incentives.

Facilitated and nominated 9 research excellence awards (Dr. Hussein ElSayyed Award) in AY22-23 and AY23-24.

Mission

The Deanship is dedicated to advancing multidisciplinary research and innovation, promoting technology transfer and entrepreneurship, and developing distinctive, market-aligned graduate programs. It fosters strategic partnerships to address societal challenges through research-driven community engagement, while contributing to the knowledge economy in support of national priorities.

Strategic Plan

See Our Strategic Plan

Research Innovation Portal

Centers & Labs

Dr. Hussein El-Sayyed Center for Scientific Research (HRC)

Virtualization and Intelligence Lab (VISI)

Smart Cities and Sustainability Lab (SCS)

Research Themes and Priorities

Research at UPM is focused across several research themes reflecting the interdisciplinary teams across the different colleges. The research themes are targeted to invest in new research fields with high potential and relevance; address challenges, society needs, and national priorities; and develop a more robust and diverse external research funding base.This forward-thinking approach makes UPM a promising destination for those seeking to study in Saudi Arabia. Most of the research at UPM falls under one or more of the following broad research themes:

Data Science and Cyber Security

Energy, Sustainability, & Built Environment

Industry Engagement & Innovation

Financial and Business Services & Technology

Science & Technology

Research priorities at UPM cover all its academic specializations aligned with the Vision2030 and National research priorities. From among those priorities, particular focus has been laid on AI, CyberSecurity, Smart Cities, AR/VR/Metaverse and Sustainability.

Partnerships

Apply for Research and Innovation Initiatives Research Projects

As a significant development in its research and innovation efforts, UPM has established a “Research and Innovation InitiativeS” (RIS) program aimed at addressing the needs of the university in terms of establishing and sustaining a gradual expansion of the research infrastructure and enhancing faculty and students’ engagement in research and innovation. The program is driven by the mission of the Research and Innovation Plan. Moreover, the following objectives were established to focus the program’s efforts:

Fostering high quality scientific and applied research within a sustainable and productive environment.

Promoting interdisciplinary research involving various research centers and academic programs.

Empowering research and innovation projects related to community services and economic diversification.

Enriching collaboration and partnership-projects with national and international research institutions in research domains related to the university and Saudi Vision 2030.

Harnessing university research and innovation to produce marketable solutions that meet the needs of our knowledge-driven society.

Providing training and consultation services related to approved university specialization domains.

Research and Innovation is classified into two main streams: applied research and development and scientific research and innovation initiatives program. Both streams are interconnected and share university resources and common policies and regulations. This approach to scientific research is being extended to applied research projects.If you wish to study in Saudi Arabia, UPM’s RIS program provides an excellent platform for students at a leading Saudi Arabia university to engage in innovative research projects.

Research Awards

Dr. Hussein El-Sayyed Annual Research Excellence Award

The aim of this criterion is to provide an overview of the categorization and evaluation process for research work submitted for the Dr. Hussein El-Sayyed Research Award. The motivation for establishing the award is to honor distinguished UPM faculty/staff members based on:

Their research nationally or internationally.

Their quality of scholarly work; and

Their contribution to profession/discipline and society

Research Award objectives include:

Motivating and encouraging faculty and staff to contribute effectively to scientific and applied research

Demonstrating the University in Saudi Arabia’s role in participating in the prosperity and advancement of academic research.

Contributing to the National Vision2030 and building a knowledge-based society.

Their research nationally or internationally.

Their quality of scholarly work.

Their contribution to profession/discipline and society

This criterion categorizes the various types of research work (research outcomes) applicable for the Research Award and provides guidelines for ranking each type of submission. The types of applicable research outcomes can now be listed as follows:

Scientific Research track

Research Projects track.

Research Skills Development & Mentorship

Mentorship and training services plan is meant to build the capacity of young researchers by inculcating best practices in research skills, promoting interest in research, offering career advice, and widening their exposure to research activities. These services will benefit all UPM’s Faculty and Students and will cover all specializations. Meanwhile, training effectiveness highly depends on practicing earned skills. Therefore, Department of Scientific Research and Graduate Studies will encourage all UPM faculty and students to contribute to practical research projects under the supervision of senior researchers and Professors. The research skills development & mentorship plan shows how these services will be facilitated and supports the training experience through various skills development and mentorship services.