VizX by KAUST

Extending World-Class Visualization Beyond the University

KAUST Core Labs — Visualization Core Lab

What We Already Have

Facilities

  • CORNEA — 6-sided CAVE
  • Large-scale tiled displays
  • VR/AR hardware fleet
  • High-end GPU workstations

Capabilities

  • Scientific data visualization
  • Digital twins
  • Real-time 3D / Unity
  • Data analytics & HPC

The Team

  • 5 PhD visualization scientists
  • 1 industry-focused product lead
  • 1,200+ internal users served
  • 200+ external users already

These are world-class facilities that most companies cannot build in-house. The demand from industry is real and growing — especially in Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 landscape.

The Tension

"Keep Focus Internal"

  • We are a research university, not a company
  • Core labs exist to serve KAUST researchers
  • External work distracts from the mission
  • IP and results should stay at KAUST
  • Scientists came here to do research
VS

"Extend Our Impact"

  • Vision 2030 mandates economic impact
  • Revenue funds better equipment for everyone
  • Industry problems bring real-world relevance
  • Impact is measured beyond publications
  • External partnerships attract top talent

Both sides are valid. The answer isn't choosing one — it's designing a model that serves both without compromise.

The Opportunities Are Everywhere

INSIDE KAUST — LOW-HANGING FRUIT

Health & Safety Dept

VR safety training for labs, emergency evacuation simulation, hazardous equipment training — already proven globally.

Facility Management

KAUST already has a campus digital twin (Cities:OS). VizLab should power it — building monitoring, energy optimization, space planning.

Security Operations

Campus security visualization, real-time monitoring dashboards, incident response simulation, visitor flow analytics.

Shusha Island / KCRI

Coral reef digital twin, underwater museum VR experience, tourism visualization for NEOM's 100-hectare reefscape.

OUTSIDE KAUST — HIGH-VALUE

Ma'aden — Mining Visualization

$2.5T untapped mineral wealth. Deploying 3D subsurface imaging across 12,000 km². Needs: geological data viz, 3D exploration mapping, real-time dashboards.

FIFA 2034 — 15 Stadiums

Every stadium needs immersive fan experiences, holographic tech, VR walkthroughs. PwC calls it the digital stadium revolution.

EU Cultural Heritage Programs

EU is actively funding 3D heritage digitization — Twin It!, 5Dculture, Eureka3D-XR. International clients with real budgets.

Smart Agriculture / Food Security

Vision 2030 priority. Digital twins for farming, livestock monitoring, water resource viz. International agritech firms opening KSA offices in 2024.

The Real Problem

Our team are scientists, not service providers.
We have no engineers, no PMs, no sales.

Asking scientists to sell, scope, and deliver
for industry clients will fail.

The problem isn't whether to serve external clients. It's that we don't have the right structure to do it without burning out our researchers or degrading internal service.

This Is Not New — The Data

Serving external clients isn't a radical idea. It's what every major research institution already does.

$6.2B

Industry → Universities

US businesses funded $6.2B in university R&D in 2023 alone. 6% of $108.8B total academic R&D.

Source: NSF HERD Survey 2023

64%

Universities Have Core Labs

63.6% of research institutions maintain formal core facilities serving both internal and external users.

Source: Ithaka S+R Survey 2021

33%

Need External Revenue

Core facilities require 33% institutional subsidy to survive. Financial pressure is pushing them to open to external clients.

Source: ABRF Biomedical Survey

$828M

Saudi VR Market by 2033

Growing from $147M (2024) at 21% CAGR. The demand is here.

$7.6B

Metaverse GDP Impact (KSA)

Strategy& predicts $7.6B annual addition to Saudi GDP by 2030 from immersive tech.

How Others Solved It

F

Fraunhofer Institutes (Germany)

Research institute → €3.6B budget. €867M/yr from industry clients alone. 2/3 of all income from external contracts. Added professional bridge teams. Invented the MP3 codec along the way.

M

MIT Lincoln Laboratory (USA)

University-managed research lab → $4.7B/yr revenue. MIT runs it, but it serves DoD, NASA, FAA, and industry. Proof that a university lab can operate at massive external scale.

C

CSIRO (Australia)

Government research org → $1.7B total revenue. $500M+/yr from external industry. Labs open to Australian & international companies. Invented Wi-Fi from research that started internally.

N

Northwestern University (USA)

50 core facilities serving external users. Commercial clients pay premium rates. 20% of revenue reinvested in capability growth. External work became gateway to corporate-sponsored research.

The pattern is clear: research institutions that open to external clients don't lose their mission — they fund it. Every one of these started internal-first, then scaled outward with a professional layer.

Case Study: DEWA → Digital DEWA

Dubai's DEWA faced the same challenge — and built a model that works. Right here in the Gulf.

1

Had internal digital teams

IT, data centers, IoT, software — all built to serve DEWA internally.

2

Created Digital DEWA — 3 subsidiaries

Not a spin-off. Owned by DEWA. Serves DEWA first, then external. Revenue flows back to the parent.

3

Now serves major external clients

What started as internal capability is now a revenue-generating arm serving Dubai and beyond.

External Clients They Now Serve

  • Emirates Group (airline) — data center colocation
  • Emirates NBD (major bank) — digital transformation
  • Digital Dubai Authority — Dubai Data & AI Platform
  • Dubai Islamic Bank — cloud services
  • Dubai Media — managed services (InfraX)
  • Dubai Women Establishment — green cloud
  • Dubai Electronic Security Center — cybersecurity

Scale Achieved

  • DEWA revenue: AED 29+ billion (2024)
  • World's largest solar-powered data center
  • Partners: Dell, Microsoft, Huawei, SAP, Thales, G42

DEWA didn't stop being a utility. Moro Hub started by serving DEWA — then Emirates, banks, and government entities lined up. The same path applies to VizX by KAUST.

Branding: Separate Identity for External

Every successful model created a distinct brand for external-facing work. The pattern is clear.

Parent Institution External Brand Strategy
DEWA (Dubai) Moro Hub, InfraX, DigitalX Separate brands — own websites, logos, identity
CSIRO (Australia) Data61 Separate brand — digital/AI commercial arm
MIT (USA) Lincoln Laboratory Separate brand — own logo, own website
Fraunhofer (Germany) 75 Institute sub-brands Sub-brands — Fraunhofer IESE, IAO, ISI, etc.
Northwestern (USA) Same name No separation — smaller scale operation

Our recommendation: VizX by KAUST — clean, modern, industry-ready. Signals innovation and external capability, while KAUST's name provides the credibility and trust. Separate enough to avoid internal tension, connected enough to leverage the brand.

THE

Hybrid Bridge Model

Internal-first priority + thin professional services layer

Capacity: Start Small, Prove, Scale

95%

Internal Research

  • KAUST researchers always have priority
  • Subsidized or free access
  • Scientists' primary focus stays here
  • No disruption to current operations
5%

External Pilot

  • ~12 hrs/week across the team
  • ~2 hrs/scientist/week dedicated
  • + voluntary additional time as available
  • Scale up only after pilot proves value

Hard-written commitment, not open-ended. 5% dedicated hours for the pilot — just 2 hours per scientist per week. Increase only when results justify it — data-driven scaling, not guesswork.

What's In It for the Scientists?

Research shows scientists are motivated by 3 things — not just money. We design for all three.

Gold

Financial Reward

  • Direct payment per project — same model as KAUST Academy
  • Scientists get paid for their expert hours
  • Better equipment funded by revenue
  • Conference travel & event funding

KAUST ACADEMY ALREADY DOES THIS — PROVEN MODEL

Ribbon

Recognition & Career

  • Co-authorship on industry case studies
  • Named expertise on VizX portfolio
  • "Industry Impact" on academic profile
  • Present at Kingdom Digital Twin Summit

Puzzle

Interesting Problems

  • NEOM city-scale digital twins
  • Aramco reservoir visualization
  • AlUla heritage in VR
  • Real-world data at massive scale

We're not inventing a new model. KAUST Academy already pays scientists directly for delivering value to external participants. VizX uses the same proven approach — scientists get paid for their expert time, recognized for their impact, and challenged with real-world problems. The 5% becomes something they want to do.

What VizX Needs to Succeed

The 5% hours are the scientist commitment. But VizX also needs these from KAUST:

KAUST

The Name

KAUST's brand is the trust signal. Clients aren't buying from a startup — they're accessing a world-class research university. The name is the product's credibility.

NTI

Networking & Access

Access to KAUST's industry network, NTI connections, introductions to big names — Aramco, SABIC, NEOM. Plus facility access for demos, testing, and client showcases.

PhDs

Scientist Access

Only for core problem-solving and general reviewing — not delivery work. Scientists validate, advise, and quality-check. The bridge team handles everything else.

Scientists are not the workforce — they are the quality guarantee. Their role is limited to core technical problem-solving and reviewing deliverables. No client management, no proposals, no deadlines. Just expertise when it matters.

The Bridge — 3 Key Roles, 1 Person

No new hires needed. One industry-minded person covers all three roles — with outsourcing for overflow.

1. Project Management

Translates client needs into technical scope. Manages timelines, deliverables, and communication via Jira. Scientists never deal with client admin.


SHIELDS SCIENTISTS FROM OPERATIONS

2. Business Development

Finds and qualifies external clients. Handles proposals, pricing, contracts. Builds pipeline of opportunities aligned with lab strengths.


SCIENTISTS NEVER HAVE TO SELL

3. Delivery & Outsourcing

Manages external engineers and freelancers for execution work. Coordinates outsourcing for overflow. Ensures quality matches KAUST standards.


SCALES WITHOUT HIRING

One person, three hats — zero new headcount. Scientists contribute expertise as consultants only. Outsource lines are ready for when projects need extra hands. No risk, no overhead — just structured delivery.

Productized Service Packages

Don't custom-build everything. Package what we already do into clear offerings.

Digital Twin

  • 3D environment modeling
  • Real-time data integration
  • Interactive web/VR viewer
  • Ideal for: NEOM, Aramco, RCRC

Immersive VR Experience

  • VR training environments
  • CAVE/HMD presentations
  • Architectural walkthroughs
  • Ideal for: construction, defense, tourism

Scientific Visualization

  • Large dataset rendering
  • Publication-quality visuals
  • Interactive dashboards
  • Ideal for: pharma, energy, environment

Productized packages are easier to sell, scope, price, and deliver. Custom work is available as a premium tier for strategic clients.

Revenue Model

Tier 1 — Internal

Free

KAUST faculty, students, researchers. Priority access. Full support.

Tier 2 — Academic

Cost

External universities and research institutes. Cost-recovery pricing.

Tier 3 — Industry

Cost + Margin

Commercial clients. Market-rate pricing. Revenue generation.

Revenue is reinvested into the lab — better equipment, more staff, expanded capabilities. External revenue directly strengthens internal research capacity. This is not profit extraction — it's a growth engine.

The Win-Win

R

For Researchers

Better equipment, more staff, interesting real-world problems. Zero admin burden. Research stays the priority.

U

For KAUST

Revenue generation. Industry reputation. Vision 2030 alignment. Talent attraction. IP stays at KAUST.

I

For Industry Clients

Access to world-class facilities and expertise they can't build in-house. Clear pricing and SLAs. Professional delivery.

S

For Saudi Arabia

Knowledge transfer to private sector. Economic diversification. Building local visualization expertise. Vision 2030 impact.

Target Leads: Tier 1 — Hot

Already have KAUST relationship + active funded projects needing visualization.

Aramco

$100M funding to KAUST over 10 years. Active digital twin program. $1.8B AI-driven value in 2024. Needs: reservoir viz, megaproject digital twins, immersive data exploration.

SABIC

Technology Center physically at KAUST (STC-K). Active postdoc fellowships. Needs: materials viz, molecular modeling, process simulation visualization.

NEOM / TONOMUS

$1B invested in digital twins. Launched XVRS platform. Partner on KAUST Coral Initiative. Needs: city-scale digital twins, VR urban planning, immersive walkthroughs.

KAUST Coral Initiative (KCRI)

Already at KAUST. World's largest coral restoration. Working with digiLab on AI digital twin. VizLab should be central. Needs: 3D reef viz, underwater digital twin.

Target Leads: Tier 2 & 3

TIER 2 — WARM (FUNDED + ACTIVE VIZ NEED)

Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU)

Active digital heritage program. Using digital twins for archaeology. Needs: 3D reconstruction, VR heritage experiences, ancient site visualization.

Red Sea Global

Tourism mega-project on KAUST's doorstep. Needs: destination VR experiences, underwater reef viz, resort planning digital twins.

Qiddiya

Entertainment mega-project. Needs: immersive experience design, theme park VR, digital twin planning.

TIER 3 — STRATEGIC (BIG BUDGETS, OUTREACH NEEDED)

Neo Space Group / Saudi Space Commission

Launched Earth observation platform. Needs: satellite data viz, geospatial analytics, 3D earth observation.

Diriyah Gate / ROSHN

Heritage + real estate mega-projects. Need: historical VR, smart city viz, urban planning digital twins.

Ministry of Environment

Environmental monitoring mandate. Needs: climate data viz, marine ecosystem monitoring, Red Sea dashboards.

Key event: Kingdom Digital Twin Summit — Oct 7-8, 2025, Riyadh. VizX should attend/present. Every major buyer will be there.

Next Steps — Zero Risk, Zero Investment

No new hires needed to start. No budget required. Just structured work with existing resources.

I Will Build

  • VizX website & branding
  • Service packages & portfolio
  • Jira project management setup
  • Client communication templates
  • Outsource lines ready if needed

Scientists Provide

  • 5% dedicated time (~2 hrs/week each)
  • Core problem-solving expertise
  • Quality review of deliverables
  • Technical feasibility input
  • No client-facing work required

KAUST Provides

  • The KAUST name & credibility
  • Facility access for clients
  • Strategy clearance
  • Existing relationships (Aramco, SABIC)
  • No budget needed upfront

No risk. No investment. Just structured work.
Let the results speak — then scale.

Growth Plan: Revenue → Hires → Scale

Phase 1 — Prove

KPI: Generate first SAR 50–100K
1–2 pilot projects. Zero cost. Revenue validates the model and builds internal trust.

Phase 2 — First Hires

KPI: SAR 200–500K revenue
Hire hardware support + business coordinator for the Viz Lab. These roles strengthen internal service too.

Phase 3 — Divide & Grow

KPI: SAR 500K–1M+ revenue
Dedicated VizX team forms. More engineers, more capacity. Scientists' external time can grow if they want.

Phase 4 — Reinvest

KPI: Sustained annual revenue
Revenue funds the lab's future — not just VizX.

Revenue Goes To

  • New hires for Viz Lab & VizX
  • Hardware & equipment upgrades
  • Research funding for scientists

First Hires

  • Hardware technician for Viz Lab
  • Business/ops coordinator
  • Strengthens both VizX and Viz Lab

The Flywheel

  • Revenue → hires → more capacity
  • More capacity → more projects
  • More projects → more revenue

If Green Light: 3-Month Plan

Month 1

  • VizX branding & website live
  • Service packages & portfolio deck
  • Jira workspace setup
  • Align with NTI on intro channels
  • Start pitching clients — Tier 1 leads
  • Pitch inside KAUST departments

Month 2

  • Qualify 3–5 opportunities
  • Close first deal — even subsidized
  • A 200K project for 50K = proof of cycle
  • Start delivery with outsource support
  • Full cycle: proposal → contract → work

Month 3

  • First project delivered & paid
  • Full delivery cycle proven end-to-end
  • 2–3 more opportunities in pipeline
  • Data to justify Phase 2 hiring
  • Document everything for next one

The first project doesn't need to be profitable. It needs to prove the cycle works — money in, deliverable out, client happy. Then we scale.

What We Need to Move Fast

!

Cashflow Buffer — Critical

If we land a 100K contract with 20K in outsourcing costs, we can't wait for the client payment to arrive before paying our contractors. KAUST procurement is slow. VizX needs to be fast. A small operational float (pre-approved budget) is essential — otherwise we lose contractors and credibility before the first invoice clears.

F

Focused Commitment

With the green light, I commit to making VizX the primary focus — while continuing to deliver on existing responsibilities. Full energy into building, selling, and delivering.

H

Long-Term: Formal Role

If VizX proves successful in the first 3–5 months, the next step is a formal hire to lead this full-time. I have other companies and commitments — if there's a long-term future here, I need to know by month 5 so I can make that decision.

S

Speed Is the Advantage

The opportunities won't wait. NEOM, Aramco, FIFA 2034 — these projects are moving now. A slow start means missed contracts. We need to match industry speed, not university speed.

Give us the blessing, a small cashflow buffer, and 3 months.
We'll bring back results.

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