Babson College in Wellesley, Massachussetts, after whose entrepreneurship programmes the Saudi colle

Three leading entities have joined hands to create an elite educational institution located at King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) in Saudi Arabia and modeled after Babson College’s top-ranked entrepreneurship education programmes in the United States. 

Babson Global, a wholly owned subsidiary of Babson College; Lockheed Martin, King Abdullah Economic City and the Saudi Arabia Economic Offset Programme (EOP) office, announced the project during the Saudi Ministry of Education’s International Exhibition and Forum for Education (IEFE). 

The projected College for Business and Entrepreneurship will be developed by KAEC, the owner of the facility, as part of a comprehensive entrepreneurship ecosystem within the new city. 

It will be based on Babson’s unique methodology, fuelled by Babson expertise and founded on the same academic rigour that has made the US institution the No 1 ranked school for entrepreneurship education by the US News & World Report for the past 20 years. Degree programmes will be offered beginning in 2017. 

“Helping to establish an educational institution that will support sustainable development and contribute to peace and stability in Saudi Arabia is important and exciting work,” said Babson president Kerry Healey. 

When fully developed, the new college will have a complete campus environment and capability to enroll up to 1,400 students in graduate, undergraduate and entrepreneurship development programmes.

Activities will include classroom study programmes as well as virtual, technology-aided programmes. The development will include the unique Babson Global Centre for Entrepreneurial Leadership as an important resource for both the college and the Saudi business and entrepreneurial community in general.  

“Entrepreneurship is at the core of our vision for KAEC and we are deeply engaged in helping people build and develop the skills they need to be successful in the future,” said Fahd Al Rasheed, managing director and group CEO of King Abdullah Economic City.