# Overview

**Source**: https://ri.kfupm.edu.sa/crac/about-us/overview
**Parent**: https://ri.kfupm.edu.sa/crac

About us

- [Overview](https://ri.kfupm.edu.sa/crac/about-us/overview)
- [Director's Message](https://ri.kfupm.edu.sa/crac/about-us/director's-message)
- [People](https://ri.kfupm.edu.sa/crac/about-us/people)
- [Affiliated Faculty](https://ri.kfupm.edu.sa/crac/about-us/affiliated-faculty)

##### Mission

- Develop technologies for clean fuels, petrochemicals, and polymers
- Maximize value of petroleum by converting to high-demand products: light olefins and aromatics
- Provide technical support to oil refineries and petrochemical plants (catalyst screening, and selection)

##### Vision

To be a leading research center in petroleum refining & petrochemicals through innovative basic and applied research within the Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) of 1-3.

##### Facts and Figures

- CRAC has over four decades of R&D-business experience.
- Completed more than 100 projects for major clients, mainly Saudi Aramco. Other clients include Sabic, Honeywell UOP and Sinopec RIPP.
- Annually, CRAC researchers issue more than 30 publications in refereed journals and 10 patents
- Participates in graduate studies, supervision and training

##### History

- The Research Institute, an integral part of KFUPM, was established in 1979 to foster fundamental and applied research
- Among the original technical divisions of the Research Institute was *Petroleum and Gas Technology Division* which covered the petroleum upstream and downstream research activities
- As a part of reorganization in 1997, the downstream research activities were brought under a new center named as *Center for Refining and Petrochemicals (CRP)*
- The Center was renamed as the Center for Refining and Advanced Chemicals (CRAC) as a part of reorganization in July 2021