Arab News, Saturday, Nov 26, 2022 | Jamadi Al Awwal 2, 1444
Flurry of R&D cooperation deals signed as Sustainable Partnerships Conference ends
Emirates :
More than 50 cooperation and research partnership
agreements were signed between universities and various sectors at the
Sustainable Partnerships Conference held in Riyadh.
The two-day conference, held under the theme
“Research and Innovation Towards A Prosperous Economy” was part of an initiative
spearheaded by the Ministry of Education to foster ties between Saudi
universities and the industrial and development sectors.
The event hosted 150 ministers, decision-makers,
local and international leaders — of which 100 were from the industrial and
development sector — and 40 Saudi universities and colleges.
Some 1,000 research products and industrial models
for universities were presented, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
On the sidelines of the conference, 40 training
workshops specialized in research and innovation were held, along with 25
dialogue sessions, in addition to a presentation of 220 scientific inventions
through the “Promising Technologies and Innovations” exhibition for the
country’s citizens and graduates of Saudi universities.
The conference also saw the Saudi Minister of
Investment Khalid Al-Falih announce a new strategy for research and development
would soon be launched in the Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Industry and minimal
resources Bandar Al-Khorayef also addressed the forum, revealing that a budget
for research and development will be allocated soon.
Al-Khorayef pointed out that the innovation
strategy will enhance Saudi Arabia’s exports, and will contribute to national
gross domestic production.
According to SPA, the Ministry of Education sought
to use the conference — the first of its kind in the Kingdom — to not only
strengthen the links between the higher education sector and industry, but also
to identify research and innovation needs of national priority and provide
effective solutions to them.
The event was held with a growing focus on Saudi
Arabia’s R&D sector, as the Kingdom seeks to diversify its economy away from oil
in keeping with the Vision 2030 program.
Saudi Arabia is aiming to become one of the top 10
countries in the Global Competitive Index by the end of this decade, increasing
from 24th in 2022.