Last Update on: 20 April 2026

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1. Purpose
2. Scope
3. Acronyms
4. Objectives
5. General Eligibility and Award Rules
6. Award Channels
7. Award Value
8. Nomination and Assessment
9. Implementation and Deadlines
   
10. Compliance and Performance Indicators
    
11. Document Amendment Information
    

1. PURPOSE

These guidelines govern the administration of the President's Award at KFUPM.

The President's Award recognizes outstanding achievements by KFUPM faculty members and researchers through multiple entry channels covering scholarly excellence, technological advancement, institutional contribution, international recognition, entrepreneurship, and competitive funding.

The award aims to encourage work that advances knowledge, strengthens the University's standing, and generates meaningful academic, societal, and economic impact.

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2. SCOPE

1. These guidelines apply to the President's Award.
2. These guidelines apply to eligible professorial KFUPM faculty members and researchers.

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3. ACRONYMS

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4. OBJECTIVES

The Presidential Research Awards aim to recognize outstanding research achievements and scholarly excellence among KFUPM faculty and researchers through:

1. Encourage publication in prestigious and high-impact scholarly journals.
2. Promote technological advancement toward implementation and deployment.
3. Strengthen KFUPM's global research visibility and scholarly influence.
4. Foster interdisciplinary collaboration across departments, colleges, and centers.
5. Recognize international distinction and leadership in academia and research.
6. Encourage editorial leadership in leading scholarly journals.
7. Support entrepreneurship and commercialization arising from research outcomes.
8. Incentivize success in securing competitive research funding.

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5. GENERAL ELIGIBILITY AND AWARD RULES

• An individual may qualify through more than one channel.
• The President's Award remains a single annual award, regardless of the channel through which the recipient qualifies.
• Each channel must have its own supporting evidence and review requirements.
• The Deanship of Research may request additional documentation as needed for verification purposes.
• Submission of an application is mandatory; without it, an individual or team may not be considered, even if the minimum requirements are met.
• Unless otherwise specified, this award applies to activities conducted during the previous calendar year.

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6. AWARD CHANNELS

The President's Award is a single institutional award with multiple channels. Eligibility and evaluation requirements vary by channel.

6.1 Prominent Publication

Awarded for publishing breakthrough research at the highest global level. Eligibility requires publication in Nature or Science (main journals only, excluding all sub-journals or “daughter” publications), with the faculty member serving as the KFUPM-affiliated corresponding author. Each qualifying publication is counted once. Multiple awards may be granted across individuals for different qualifying papers; however, an individual may receive recognition only once per cycle.

Recognition is shared equally among all eligible KFUPM faculty members serving as corresponding authors on the same paper. Papers with one or more corresponding/co-corresponding authors external to KFUPM are not eligible.

6.2 Technology Advancement

Recognizes advancement of research into real-world application through achieving Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7 or higher. Each TRL step (e.g., 6→7, 7→8) is counted once and must be formally verified by the Deanship of Research and external reviewers. All claims must be supported by verifiable evidence, including functional prototypes, field validation, documented operational use, and partner validation where applicable. Recognition is shared equally among eligible KFUPM faculty members and researchers involved in the same qualifying technology advancement.

Multiple awards may be granted across individuals for different technology advancements; however, an individual may receive recognition only once per cycle.

6.3 Global Research Impact

Awarded to faculty recognized as Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers, reflecting sustained global research influence. Eligibility is strictly determined by official inclusion in the annual list.

This distinction underscores the University's commitment to world-class research excellence and international academic impact

6.4 Institutional Research Contribution

Recognizes faculty whose research contributes significantly to the University’s overall output. Eligibility requires contributing more than 2% of KFUPM’s total citation output within a defined evaluation period. Assessment is conducted institutionally, taking into account the applicant’s cumulative impact over a defined five-year period to ensure sustained excellence. Any research retractions during this period constitutes grounds for disqualification. The award is granted to an individual once every three years.

6.5 Active Engagement

Rewards meaningful interdisciplinary collaboration within the University. Eligibility requires serving as the corresponding author on inter-departmental publications in Q1 journals. Only internal (KFUPM) collaborations are considered, with eligibility strictly limited to KFUPM faculty members and researchers formally affiliated with their primary academic departments; for evaluation purposes, only primary home departments are considered. Engagement of students, postdoctoral fellows, individuals without formal academic department affiliation, and external co-authors is excluded from the qualifying count. Evaluation is based on activity within the most recent year. The award is granted to the highest scorer.

Scoring is based on the breadth of collaboration:

• You earn points for publishing with colleagues from other departments within your college, more points for publishing with colleagues outside your college, and the highest number of points for publishing with colleagues from multiple colleges.
• Co-author diversity is required; repeated team compositions are not counted.

6.6 Global Recognition

Awarded for receiving major international distinctions, such as the King Faisal Prize, Nobel Prize, , or membership in national academies, reflecting the University’s standing on the global stage.

Eligibility requires formal documentation of a major international award (AAA-Level), honor, or high-level appointment from a recognized global institution or professional body.

6.7 Editorial Leadership

Recognizes appointment as Editor-in-Chief of a Q1-ranked scholarly journal, reflecting distinguished leadership in shaping global research directions.

Eligibility is limited to journals of external international standing; journals published by KFUPM are excluded. Each qualifying editorial appointment is counted once per journal; however, recognition may be granted again for appointments to different journals.

6.8 Startup Impact

Acknowledges successful translation of research into entrepreneurship. Eligibility requires founding a startup based in the Dhahran Techno Valley (DTV), with verified evidence of commercial viability and economic impact, including annual revenue of at least SAR 3 million, and a clear linkage to University intellectual property or direct faculty contribution.

The award is granted once per qualifying startup and shared equally among eligible KFUPM faculty members and researchers.

6.9 Research Funding

Recognizes excellence in securing competitive research funding as a Principal Investigator. Eligibility requires achieving annualized funding of at least:

• SAR 1 million (local), or
• USD 200,000 (international).

In both the above scenarios, funding must be received in cash by KFUPM; in-kind contributions are excluded. Only newly signed contracts within the evaluation year are considered. Funding secured through IRCs is eligible, whereas funding secured through JRCs and ARCs is excluded. The award is granted to the top performer.

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7. AWARD VALUE

• The financial value of the President's Award is SAR 100,000.
• An individual may qualify through multiple channels; however, the total incentive received per year shall not exceed the equivalent of one award.

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8. NOMINATION AND ASSESSMENT

Nomination and assessment arrangements differ by entry channel. The applicable approach is summarized below.

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9. IMPLEMENTATION AND DEADLINES

The Deanship of Research is responsible for implementing these guidelines, announcing submission windows where required, coordinating verification processes, and maintaining the official award record.

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10. COMPLIANCE AND PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

• Number of awards granted annually.
• Periodic review of these guidelines to ensure alignment with KFUPM's strategic priorities and institutional needs.

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11. DOCUMENT AMENDMENT INFORMATION

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