Based on the significance that King Khalid University in the Asir region holds at both national and international levels, and being one of the main pillars in supporting development plans at all levels, it is incumbent upon the university to play an active role in building high-value and integrated relationships with various sectors to create the desired value in areas of mutual interest. Therefore, King Khalid University, through the Department of Local and International Cooperation, works to leverage these assets in discovering opportunities that would enhance the university's standing, enrich its experiences, and develop its outcomes by bringing about qualitative leaps in its strategic partnerships at the local, regional, and international levels.

The Department of Local and International Cooperation bases its objectives on fundamental pillars to frame its work and outputs in a manner consistent with the following:

• Sustainable Development Goals.

• The university's vision, mission, and strategic objectives.

• The priorities and basic needs of colleges, institutes, and departments within the university and its branches.

• The development strategy of the Asir region.

• Labor market requirements, the Saudi Qualifications Framework, and international university ranking criteria.

Driven by King Khalid University's commitment to efficiency and achievement in partnerships and maximizing their impact, the procedures for local and international partnerships have been governed, and their operations have been organized through the issuance of a special organizational guide that serves to enhance the concepts of efficiency and effectiveness.

We ask God Almighty for success and guidance in our endeavors to elevate our prestigious university through this department for a bright tomorrow and a better future.

Dr. Mohammed bin Salem Al-Shugeibi

Personal Information: Name: Mohammed bin Salem Al-Shugeibi Academic Rank: Associate Professor Academic Department: Creed and Contemporary Doctrines Contact Information: msalshehri@kku.edu.sa

Qualifications and Certificates:

• Bachelor's Degree: College of Sharia and Fundamentals of Religion – King Khalid University – 2001.

• Master's Degree: Faculty of Arts and Law (Philosophy and Religions), University of Birmingham (UK), 2007.

• Doctorate Degree: Faculty of Arts and Law (Philosophy and Religions), University of Birmingham (UK), 2011.

• International Fellowship in Global Dialogue: KAICIID Dialogue Centre, Geneva, Austria, 2021.

• Diploma (Leading Learning), Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, 2022.

Key Professional Experiences:

Key Training Courses:

Key Areas of Academic and Research Interest:

• Old and New Orientalism.

• Orientalist Thought and its Impact on Modern Islamic and Arab Thought.

• Intellectual Movements and Philosophical Schools and their Development in the West.

• Dialogue between Followers of Religions and Civilizations.

• Religion and Multiculturalism.

Vision: 

Enhancing the university's competitiveness through leadership and excellence in creating and managing agreements and partnerships at all levels to achieve the university's vision and consolidate its role in community service and engagement.

Mission: 

Developing local and international partnerships with distinguished and prestigious universities, scientific and research institutions locally and globally, and the private and public sectors to support the achievement of the university's strategic objectives.

Objectives:

• Disseminating the culture of strategic partnerships and raising awareness of how to benefit from them.

• Developing a general framework that defines the types of targeted partnerships, their requirements, supporting entities, and how to contribute to them.

• Involving everyone and encouraging opportunities, and opening the door for cooperation between colleges in laying the foundations and ideas for distinguished partnerships.

• Working on continuous monitoring of local and international community developments and studying available opportunities for joint work with relevant entities.

• Inventorying all available, existing, and previous partnerships with Umm Al-Qura University and studying the possibility of their continuity, expanding benefits, and renewing beneficial ones.

• Identifying available opportunities within the university and the services that can be provided for partnerships, and harnessing mechanisms to activate their utilization.

• Investing in the strengths provided by these agreements and partnerships in supporting the university's various activities scientifically, practically, materially, and administratively.

• Evaluating the partnership experience and activating and following up on the results of partnership reports concluded by the university.

• Achieving the university's objectives and strategic directions.

• Institutionalizing policies, processes, and procedures for concluding agreements and memoranda of understanding.

• Building quality developmental projects with the university's partners.

• Promoting scientific research, international cooperation, and the exchange of faculty, students, and training.

• Enhancing the university's competitiveness through strategic partnerships that contribute to raising the university's ranking.

• Raising awareness of the university's activities and services.

• Meeting the needs of the university's sectors and departments for partnerships to support their projects in the fields of education, qualification, training, scientific research, innovation, community service, etc.

• Contributing to diversifying income sources and developing and increasing the university's financial resources.

• Exchanging mutual interests with relevant entities.

• Maximizing the utilization of strategic partnerships and agreements.

First: Areas of Cooperation

• Education and Learning.

• Research and Innovation.

• Technology Transfer and Knowledge Exchange.

• Community Service.

• Events and Activities.

Cooperation in the above areas includes the following activities: (qualification, training, research, studies, consultations, volunteering, awareness programs of various types, conferences, workshops, forums, seminars, exchange of faculty and students, and others).

Second: Criteria for Selecting Entities for Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding

• Compliance with the policies and regulations in force in the country.

• Alignment with the strategic objectives and directions of the university and the services it provides.

• Contribution to coordinating efforts to serve the community and achieve sustainable development.

• Good institutional reputation of partners and characterized by transparency and disclosure of conflicts of interest.

• Level of benefit and returns to the university from the partnership.

• Mutual benefit from services, facilities, and infrastructure, etc.

• Government Sector (Civil and Military): Ministries, authorities, and institutions.

• Private Sector: Companies, institutions, banks and financial institutions, hospitals, and public service providers... and others.

• Granting Entities: Foundations, associations, and endowments.

• Individuals and Businessmen.

• External Entities (Universities, institutes, schools, educational and training centers and companies... and others).

First: Partnership Coordinator and their Responsibilities The partnership coordinator shall be a member of the university staff with legal standing, provided that the highest authority in the entity (University Vice President/Dean/Head of Entity) is responsible for all partnerships within the entity, initiating their implementation, following up on their progress, and submitting periodic reports for each partnership in coordination with the liaison officer.

Second: Appointment and Responsibilities of the Liaison Officer Any cooperation agreement or memorandum of understanding shall stipulate the presence of a liaison officer for each party. The tasks of the liaison officer from the university's side are as follows:

• Filling out the required forms on the department's electronic page.

• Developing an executive plan to activate the partnership and following up on its implementation in coordination with the highest authority in the entity.

• Measuring the satisfaction of beneficiaries from the partnership.

• Preparing a partnership progress report every six months from the date of its signing according to the electronic memo "Partnership Progress Report" on the department's electronic page.

Mechanism for Requesting Cooperation with a Local Entity The university follows two methods for cooperation through concluding agreements and memoranda of understanding: either by extending an invitation to potential partners (domestic or international) whose vision aligns with the university's vision, or by responding to partnership requests submitted by internal or external entities that help the university achieve its vision and strategic objectives.

Implementation Stages of Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding: A) Concluding a Partnership with a Domestic/External Entity

Local Cooperation Model

Partnerships Signed with National Entities

Parameters of Memoranda of Understanding with an International Entity

When submitting a request to establish a partnership with international entities, the benefiting entity within the university prepares the accompanying study for the draft memorandum of understanding (see the model of the accompanying study for the draft agreement), which must include the following elements:

a. Title (Cooperation Agreement / Memorandum of Understanding). b. Importance of the project. c. Objectives of the project and the extent of its alignment with the university's strategic direction and objectives. d. Justifications or rationales for concluding the cooperation agreement or memorandum of understanding. e. Information about the second party (international institutions). f. Strengths and distinguishing aspects of the international party. g. Dimensions (political-economic-academic). h. Areas of cooperation. i. Expected outcomes of the project to serve the university or society. j. Benefiting entities within and outside the university. k. Expected number of beneficiaries within and outside the university. l. Project budget and its justifications. m. Work plan for project implementation.

(The required forms, in addition to the accompanying study for the project, are submitted by the highest authority in the entity to the Vice President for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research via the Enjaz system).

Mechanism for Submitting a Request for Cooperation with an International Entity

The steps for submitting a request for cooperation with an international entity are the same as the steps for submitting a request for cooperation with a local entity, as mentioned in the Local Cooperation section.

• Guidance Procedures for Agreements and Partnerships + Forms

• Model for Evaluating and Following Up on the Activation of Memoranda and Cooperation Agreements

• List of International Entities with which Cooperation has been Established

• List of Framework Agreements

• List of Framework Agreements or Agreements Signed with International Entities

Entities within the university can request to benefit from an existing partnership through the following procedures:

1. The entity wishing to benefit from an existing partnership submits a request by filling out Form No. (4) Request to Benefit from an Existing Partnership and uploads it via the (Enjaz) system to the Vice President for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research.
2. The request is referred to the Department of Cooperation to study the possibility of expanding the partnership according to the following criteria: a. Availability of staff and workforce capable of accomplishing the tasks. b. The extent of the entity's need for the partnership. c. The external partner's ability to meet the partnership's needs after expansion.
3. The Department of Cooperation communicates with the coordinators of both parties (from within and outside the university) to meet, make a decision, and submit recommendations to the Vice President for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research.
4. The internal university entity benefiting from the partnership is obligated to prepare a periodic partnership progress report every six months from the date of approval to benefit from an existing partnership, attaching supporting documents, and then completing the rest of the procedures as mentioned in item ten.

1. Either party may terminate the partnership at any time, provided that the Department of Cooperation is notified no later than three months in advance. The termination of the partnership does not affect any ongoing projects until their completion date, with all parties committed to completing them.
2. The partnership is terminated by the university by filling out Form No. (5) in the event of non-cooperation or non-response from the internal/external entity, or failure to comply with some of the contract terms, or deficiencies in the project implementation requirements.
3. If the activation of the memorandum of understanding is delayed for any reason, the Department of Cooperation is notified with an explanation of the reason, and if the partnership cannot be activated, it is terminated.
4. If the partnership coordinator does not submit the periodic reports stipulated in item ten of this guide, the partnership is considered inactive, and its termination will be considered after confirming that its activation is impossible for any reason.
5. The Legal Department is contacted to study the legal aspects of terminating the partnership, and the Vice President for Graduate Studies is informed accordingly.
6. A request to terminate the partnership is submitted to the University President.

• Form (1) Partnership Coordinator Change

• Form (2) Partnership Request

• Form (3) Partnership Progress Report

• Form (4) Request to Benefit from an Existing Partnership

• Form (5) Partnership Termination Number