Research & Innovation

DSRIGS

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, support the development of niche and market-oriented graduate programs, and empower 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, facilitating access to diverse funding opportunities, and strengthening 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, 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.

Milestones

Key Achievements

Highlights

Awarded 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.
Continuous university commitment to support research & innovation growth and planning.
Establishment of the University Scientific Council.
Launched a Digital Research & Innovation Web Portal for updating and automating faculty requests.

Artificial Intelligence Development Projects

Developing virtual tours for historic and religious sites using Augmented & Virtual Reality and Metaverse technologies.
Large Language Model (LLM) chatbots for automating inquiries on academic policies & procedures.
AR, VR and Metaverse development for academic courses and community projects.

Summary of Key Performance Indicators (2020 – 2024)

+19%in full-time faculty who published at least one research during the year

+4.5%in the rate of published research per faculty member

+83%in citation rate in refereed journals per faculty member

3.5×increase in innovations, patents and excellence awards

6×increase in the budget share dedicated to research

100×+increase in the share of external research funding

15policies, procedures and manuals published and in development

25research incentives awarded

9research excellence awards (Dr. Hussein ElSayyed Award) facilitated 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 Goals

Advance applied & multidisciplinary research with strong societal outreach
Recruit, develop, and incentivize distinguished researchers
Enhance institutional reputation in research, innovation and graduate studies
Strengthen research & innovation infrastructure, environment and operational capacity
Diversify and expand funding sources
Foster an enabling environment for students & graduate-level research
Cultivate a culture of excellence, innovation, and academic integrity
Promote sustainability-driven research & innovation initiatives
Strengthen entrepreneurship and technology transfer through mentorship, startup support and innovation commercialization

Research Infrastructure

Centers & Labs

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

Virtualization and Intelligence Lab (VISI)

Smart Cities and Sustainability Lab (SCS)

Humanizing Cities

Civil & Construction Engineering Lab (CCE Lab)

Focus Areas

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 Vision 2030 and national research priorities. Particular focus has been laid on: