The National Unit for Environmental Research and Services (NUERS) is a research and services facility under the management of Kuwait University Research Sector. The unit is housed on the second floor of the A wing of Prof. Faiza Al-Khurafi building. Being a research and services unit, NUERS offers a wide-range of analytical services in the field of environmental research to both the university researchers and external clients.
Located within a hundred to three hundred meters of all departments of the Faculty of Science, NUERS is poised to serve the University’s research community effectively. As part of NUERS’ mandate, the unit actively encourages graduate students and their supervisors to avail themselves of the analytical facilities provided in NUERS for research.
The procedures adopted for analyses of samples in NUERS are according to the approved International Standard Methods (USEPA, MOOPAM, ASTM), consistent with the practices as previously carried out by the previous ISO-certified management (CEL). The unit operates with a core of experienced and competent staff. Presently, NUERS is vigorously pursuing the re-certification of the laboratory for the ISO-17025; a process that is at an advanced stage.
This Unit that is called NUERS was established by the decree of Kuwait University accepting the transfer of ownership of the central laboratory for environmental analysis (CEL) to Kuwait University. KU President Prof. Abdul Lateef Al-Bader issued a decree mandating the job title of "Assistant vice President for External Research Collaboration” to "Assistant Vice President for External Research Collaboration and Consulting", as Prof. Dr. Obaid Sorour Al-Otaibi continues to fill this new position until 22 /3/2013. Prof. Abdul Lateef Al-Bader issued a decree that stipulates in its:
Article (1): approving the transfer of ownership of the central laboratory for environmental analysis (CEL) to Kuwait University free of charge based on a memorandum of understanding and implementation of the Council of Ministers' decree dated 10.07.2011 regarding the Accepting the transfer of ownership of the central laboratory for environmental analysis (CEL) to Kuwait University and to brief the Council of Ministers.
Article (2): approving the payroll of hardware inventory currently available in the central laboratory, which was prepared on 27.6.2012.
Article (3): delegating the process of transferring laboratory devices and installing them as assets within the property of KU to the Secretariat General of KU according to the procedures in this regard.
Article (4): the central laboratory for environmental analysis (CEL) is the nucleus for the establishment of a national specialized unit for research and environmental services at KU and is considered an independent unit administratively affiliated to Kuwait University under the roof of the Research Sector and has no subordination to any party or another institution.
Article (5): The functions of the national specialized unit for research and environmental services, including the following:
- The unit provides infrastructure and research facilities for researchers and graduate studies students at Kuwait University with different services in addition to enhancing research cooperation and implementation of joint environmental research with local, regional, and global organizations.
- The unit provides counseling for the environmental authorities, planners, and decision makers operating on training and qualifying national labor in the field of chemical and environmental analysis.
- The unit provides services and environmental analysis for parties concerned with the environmental affairs for a specific fee covering the actual cost of the operation at least.
- Kuwait University gives necessary environmental rehabilitation programs due to the nature of their work in the light of the memorandum specifying and defining the rules and fees for services.
NUERS operates under the project SRUL01/13 which started on 1st August 2013. Prior to this date, and starting from January 2013, the unit operated in the name of Central Environmental Laboratory or CEL (previously operated under a US firm and taken over by Kuwait University in 2012) under the auspices of General Facility-Science- Kuwait University.
The NUERS project-SRUL01/13 started functioning in April 2014 following the appointment of Prof. Christian Obuekwe as the P.I. The unit envisages counseling for the environmental authorities, planners, and decision makers operating on training and qualifying national labor in the field of chemical and environmental analyses. The unit also provides services and environmental analysis for parties concerned with the environmental affairs. Sample preparations in the form of grinding, freeze-drying for long-term preservation and storage are highly demanded service by clients and are routinely carried out by the unit.