(Thuwal, Saudi Arabia, July 20, 2010) - It was announced today that King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) is developing an online innovation network for the Middle?East North Africa region.

The announcement came in a paper published today entitled, "Building a Regional Innovation Network," by Terence McElwee, Director of Technology Transfer & Innovation at KAUST. The announcement was first made today on the Website of Beyond the First World.

In the first phase of the project, KAUST will invite more than 400 scientists, entrepreneurs, students and business and university leaders to meet online to explore and evaluate new ideas on how to energize business innovation in the region. The project will utilize commercial crowd-sourcing software.

Mr. McElwee came to KAUST in 2009 from the University of Georgia Research Foundation, where he was General Counsel. He is co-author of "Licensing Intellectual Property in the Information Age."

KAUST¹s regional network plan is described in detail on the Website of Beyond the First World, http://beyondthefirstworld.com.

Beyond the First World is a nonprofit project established in March 2010. Its mission is to contribute to international economic growth and development by improving the practice of technology transfer through online networking of practitioners, and publication of news and best practices.