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KACST and Dassault Systèmes Sign a Groundbreaking Agreement at the Paris Air Show 2011

Dassault Systemes was chosen as a strategic partner by KACST, the principal Saudi Arabian organization driving national Science and Technology policies, conducting state-of-art research and development, and providing strategic direction to local educational institutes relating to actions for achieving industrial diversification goals. This ambitious agreement will prepare the ground for significant evolutions in the Saudi Arabian manufacturing industry by supplying a sustained flow of highly employable Saudi Arabian engineers. Most of these engineers will be the work-force for KACST mega projects. Others will have the ability to create their own companies to support the Kingdom industrial sector. The agreement will also facilitate the national policy of industrialization, the growth of the digital economy and significantly involve women in the workforce leveraging new technologies for telecommuting.

Some of Dassault Systemes' leading customers such as Boeing and NASA are already KACST's partners and they rely on Dassault Systemes solutions for developing, engineering and manufacturing their products.

Bernard Charles, president & CEO Dassault Systemes, and Philippe Forestier, executive vice president, Global Affairs and Communities, have invited their honored guests from KACST led by His Highness Prince Dr. Turki bin Saud Al-Saud, KACST vice president for Research Institutes, to join them for the signing at Dassault Systemes' chalet at the Paris Air Show.

Dr. Al-Saud expressed his satisfaction upon the signing of the MOU, (Memorandum of Understanding), and commented; "KACST is the leading government agency for research and development in all strategic areas including aerospace technology. KACST in conducting its research and development strives for the best integration and utilization of cutting-edge technologies and has signed key agreements with World-class companies and agencies for this purpose. We consider Dassault Systemes as a World leader in providing state-of-art technologies that support product development from idea to market. This signing is the start of a significant new partnership which will have a positive impact on future economic, industrial and social development within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We appreciate Dassault Systemes sharing our vision for the creation of a hub of engineering knowledge within KACST, which can be leveraged to impact wider industrial diversification."

Dr. Mohammed Al-Majed, the director of National Satellite Technology Program at KACST (NSTP) remarked that this agreement is a strategic partnership that builds on the current successful deployment of Dassault Systemes latest PLM system at NSTP. He added that with NSTP expanding its core project management and system engineering capabilities, we found Dassault Systemes' PLM product development platform satisfies complexity and scalability requirements. Such platform will enhance innovation and creativity within our satellite development program. With Dassault Systemes PLM solutions, engineers will have the capability to work in partnership with international teams on collaborative product development in a way that has previously been difficult to achieve in the region.

Dassault Systemes and its Middle East distributor, D2M Solutions, are helping KACST to reach its short and long term goals for digital product development and manufacturing. The agreement covers major cooperation areas such as developing PLM Innovation Centers throughout Saudi Arabia, which would offer a truly advanced training experience to young engineers whereby they would become adept at using industry-required skills. The partnership also covers important academic programs through the newly established Advanced Technology Institute (a partnership between KACST and Technical and Vocational Training Corporation - TVTC). By involving all levels of Saudi Arabian students, from high schools to advanced R&D within the universities, the agreement aims at creating a metamorphosis of the new generation of Saudi engineers and innovators. This will allow the ecosystem of Saudi Arabian start-up firms to be ready to take on the challenges and opportunities of product development within the global market.

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About KACST
King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) is an independent scientific organization administratively reporting to the Prime Minister. KACST is both the Saudi Arabian national science agency and its national laboratories. The science agency function involves science and technology policy making, data collection, funding of external research, and services such as the patent office. KACST has currently over 2500 employees. Visit KACST online at http://www.kacst.edu.sa/.

About Dassault Systemes
As a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, Dassault Systemes brings value to more than 130,000 customers in 80 countries. A pioneer in the 3D software market since 1981, Dassault Systemes applications provide a 3D vision of the entire lifecycle of products from conception to maintenance to recycling. The Dassault Systemes portfolio consists of CATIA for designing the virtual product - DELMIA for virtual production - SIMULIA for virtual testing - ENOVIA for global collaborative lifecycle management, EXALEAD for search-based applications- SolidWorks for 3D mechanical design and 3DVIA for online 3D lifelike experiences. For more information, visit http://www.3ds.com.

CATIA, DELMIA, ENOVIA, EXALEAD, SIMULIA, SolidWorks and 3DVIA are registered trademarks of Dassault Systemes or its subsidiaries in the US and/or other countries.

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