14 October, 2026
Dear KAUST community,
As the regional situation continues to evolve, I want to share several important business updates on security, travel guidance and preparedness at KAUST.
KAUST remains in close contact with relevant Saudi government authorities to assess developments and coordinate our planning. While the regional situation continues to evolve, the information currently available to us does not indicate any specific threat to KAUST.
As of today, additional precautionary security checks have been added at the KAUST gates. For those commuting from Jeddah, these may result in delays during the 8:00 a.m. morning peak. We encourage you to make use of flexible working hours or remote working, where available, to stagger arrival times and avoid delays.
Business travel to Riyadh remains paused, and this has been extended to all domestic business travel until further notice. Critical business travel within the Kingdom that cannot be postponed or conducted virtually must be raised with your department leadership and is subject to approval by Human Resources for faculty and staff, or the Interim SVP Education and Advancement for students.
International business travel will be reviewed by department leadership and Human Resources, with non-essential travel postponed or conducted virtually wherever possible.
Planned KAUST events, including those involving external visitors, will proceed as scheduled. We continue to welcome visitors to the Kingdom and to KAUST, while recognizing that potential travel disruptions may result in delays. We encourage you to communicate this to visitors and allow additional time for travel and arrival.
Personal travel remains at your discretion. However, given the potential for disruption, we recommend checking flight schedules and airport operations directly with your airline before travelling.
We will continue to review travel restrictions as circumstances change and communicate any changes.
I would like to reassure that KAUST continues to plan emergency response arrangements, with close coordination between the President's Leadership Team, management and operational teams across the University, including The KAUST School (TKS) and Building Blocks.
Earlier this week, we completed a planned emergency preparedness drill involving KAUST principal emergency services, the emergency operations team and the President’s Leadership Team to test our response functions, communications and coordination. This exercise has reinforced our readiness to communicate with the community and respond quickly should an emergency arise.
As requested in our Power Hour yesterday, I would like to reshare our emergency action guide that includes shelter-in-place instructions are available on the Emergency website and the KAUST Central App > Emergency.
In the event of an emergency, please follow instructions issued by Saudi Civil Defense and KAUST Emergency Services.
Official KAUST emergency information and instructions will be shared through:
Emergency website: emergency.kaust.edu.sa
KAUSTCentral app: follow these instructions to download the app and enable critical alerts.
Please ensure you have access to these channels and share this guidance with family members, dependents and domestic helpers.
As a reminder, please do not photograph, film or share images or videos of security incidents and emergency response activities on social media or messaging platforms. We also ask that you refrain from circulating unverified information, and rely on official KAUST and Saudi government communications for accurate updates.
KAUST remains committed supporting our community throughout this time. As a reminder, the following resources are available to you:
Travel-related support: If your business or personal travel is disrupted, please inform your line manager or PI.
HR Helpdesk: hrhelpdesk@kaust.edu.sa | +966 (0) 12 808 2055 | +966 544 700 277
Kanoo travel agency: travel@kaust.edu.sa +966 (0) 12 808-5444
Alma travel agency: travel.alma@kaust.edu.sa
Student 24/7 travel emergency: +966 54 470 1348
Student support: schelpdesk@kaust.edu.sa | +966 (0) 12 808 3412
HR and employee well-being support: Lyra | company code: email the HRHelpdesk@kaust.edu.sa
Emergency assistance: Landline: 911 and mobile phone 0128080911
I recognize that this is a stressful and uncertain time for our community. Throughout my many years at KAUST, I have witnessed firsthand the resilience of our community and how we come together to support one another during challenging times. This spirit remains important today.
University operations are continuing, with the safety and wellbeing of our community guiding our decisions. We remain committed to supporting you with flexibility and providing timely, factual updates on developments that may affect your safety, travel or daily activities at KAUST.
Thank you for your cooperation and for following the guidance provided.
Best regards,
Samer Samman
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer