The Centre of Excellence in Desalination Technology was established on the 1st of September 2008 under the nation-wide Saudi Centers of Research Excellence (SCORE) initiative of the Ministry of Education. The Centre has set an ambitious multi-disciplinary research program covering the main areas of water desalination which include membrane desalination, fouling and pretreatment, brine management, thermal processes, and solar-driven desalination. The research program coincides with the strategic goals of the Saudi Arabia Vision 2030 which targeted the expansion of the desalination capacity of the Kingdom and strengthening the national capacity in the technical know-how of desalination technology.