Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman recently announced the national aspirations and priorities for the research, development and innovation sector to enhance the kingdom’s competitiveness and add 60 billion riyals ($16bn) to its gross domestic product by 2040.
Dr Munir El Desouki, president of King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) in Riyadh, sits down with The National to explain what these plans for the RDI sector entail.
“What was announced on June 30 was a major milestone for the kingdom and all our partners around the world,” Dr El Desouki. who also heads the team setting up the Research, Development and Innovation Authority (RDIA), said.
“It sets our ambition for what we want to achieve, and innovation being our long-term goal we are targeting the year 2040 as it takes a while for plans to materialise in these kinds of sectors while building on intellectual property and talent development,” he tells The National.
The KACST supports innovation and facilitates scientific research to promote Saudi Arabia's industrial development.
The National Aspirations and Priorities for RDI initiative will entail an annual investment equivalent to 2.5 per cent of the country's GDP in 2040, creating “high-value” jobs in science and technology, and will strengthen the kingdom's position as the Arab world's biggest economy, Prince Mohammed said, according to a report by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
What to expect from the Innovation Authority
RDI governance has been restructured and a supreme committee, headed by Prince Mohammed, has been formed to oversee the combined sector.
Dr El Desouki said the authority announces priorities for the kingdom to address such issues as water or food security, and selects flagship projects, moonshots which are then strategised and worked upon with partners. “We have 400 stakeholders — including Sabic, Aramco, every ministry, local and international partners — we work with all of them.”
“We work with all of them, to address what we need to work on, what should the road map look like, what to invest in — that's different sector by sector.”
The kingdom's economy in the first quarter of 2022 saw the highest rate of growth in the last 10 years amid increased activity in the oil sector, government data showed.
Prince Mohammed announced four priority areas — health and wellness; environmental sustainability and supply of essential needs; energy and industry leadership; and economies of the future.
“We developed strategies and steps to execute the policies in the right way, which led to a completely new re-governance of the sector that took place in the kingdom. This is really exciting for me and any other researcher in the kingdom,” said Dr El Desouki.
Seeking scientists from all over the world
The RDI plans rely heavily on open-innovation and science, including the launch of special programmes through the centre for special residency that will attract scientists from around the world and make it easy for them to migrate to the kingdom.
Dr El Desouki said the budget will increase tremendously towards 2040. “The research talent pool is going to need to increase by seven to eight times. That is huge.”
In 2019, Saudi Arabia launched a new programme to attract talent from around the world, whereby it grants citizenship to foreigners in fields such as science, technology and medicine, among others, to diversify its economy.
Omar Yaghi, an internationally-renowned chemist, is an example of that. Saudi Arabia granted Mr Yaghi citizenship last year.
An elected member of the National Academy of Sciences and the James and Neeltje Tretter Professor of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, Mr Yaghi uses technology to harvest clean water from arid environments.
Saudi Arabia is one of the top producers of desalinated water, according to its Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA).
The ministry has announced it is launching 16 more projects to develop water resources in the Riyadh region, at a cost of more than 100 million riyals. Saudi Arabia produces around 7.5 million cubic meters of desalinated water per day and is working to increase the daily production rate to 9 million cubic meters of water by 2025, according to MEWA.
“We produce it at the highest efficiency in the world, we have a world record for that. We also generated desalinated water using renewable energy- and one of the first plants that does so- in the world,” Dr El Desouki said.
“There will be a special track under the innovation policy to attract VC's, investors, potential future Nobel laureates and Omar Yaghi is one of them, among others. They're part of our family, and community.”
“We aren't constraining it to citizenship programmes, we have extended residency programmes for entrepreneurs, VCs and investors,” he added.
“One unicorn starting here or there can result in being one of the biggest tech companies in the world,” he said.
“Scientists want more than just a place with good tech or funding; they want to be in a place where innovation can take place and we aim to make Riyadh the innovation hub by launching these programmes.”
“All the challenges we are facing are global challenges, be it sustainability to food security — over 2 billion in the world don't have water- it's a global issue not just a Saudi one.
Fundamental transformation
On a personal level, Dr El Desouki is passionate about making a difference to help solve problems through technology. He said the fact that the message came from the Crown Prince sends a message to the world about how important it is to the kingdom.
“For the first time in the kingdom, we have a centre of government alignment on these kind of plans. The ministry of energy has its own plans, Neom has futuristic plans, be it Oxagon or The Line, but we need to alignment on all of them — from national or international players — to be able to solve the challenges.
“We have a subcommittee from the council of ministers that is leading the RDI upper council. This council will align everything happening on a national level. From space strategy, to Neom to other mega projects. We are fortunate that the Crown Prince himself is leading this project.”
“This dedicated budget and commitment from central government was what every researcher in the kingdom was dreaming of.”
Dr El Desouki said the kingdom is aiming for a 20-year horizon.
This strategy should be announced by the end of the year, with details, he said.
He said that even though the kingdom is the leader in research in the region, it was difficult in the past to link the academia to the private sector, start-ups and SMEs.
“So the pull-side was missing and a lot of the big companies that do R&D found it easier to do it abroad. We are fixing all these policies and working with the private sector to help make it easier for them that could be giving tax backs or subsidies or incentives.”
Another addition to the kingdom's innovation transformation are the recently signed 18 agreements and memorandums of co-operation between Saudi Arabia and the US in the fields of space, investment, energy, communications and health, during President Joe Biden's visit earlier this month.
Dr El Desouki welcomed the cooperative agreements adding that “it will further enhance the kingdom’s position as an attractive environment for innovators and creators, and in line with its vision 2030 of the country.”
“We launched an incubator called The Garage — which is a deep tech incubator — the largest of its kind in the region. We are renovating an existing parking building in KACST, just like the Station F where they turned a metro station into an incubator,” he said.
“They get access to all facilities. Until its launched we have a monthly event called the Garage-disrupt. I've seen start-ups coming from UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Ukraine and Russia. We already knew it was the largest market but now people are relocating to it because of the reforms and exciting changes taking place.”
Paltan
Producer: JP Films, Zee Studios
Director: JP Dutta
Cast: Jackie Shroff, Sonu Sood, Arjun Rampal, Siddhanth Kapoor, Luv Sinha and Harshvardhan Rane
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Ramy%3A%20Season%203%2C%20Episode%201
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
If you go:
The flights: Etihad, Emirates, British Airways and Virgin all fly from the UAE to London from Dh2,700 return, including taxes
The tours: The Tour for Muggles usually runs several times a day, lasts about two-and-a-half hours and costs £14 (Dh67)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on now at the Palace Theatre. Tickets need booking significantly in advance
Entrance to the Harry Potter exhibition at the House of MinaLima is free
The hotel: The grand, 1909-built Strand Palace Hotel is in a handy location near the Theatre District and several of the key Harry Potter filming and inspiration sites. The family rooms are spacious, with sofa beds that can accommodate children, and wooden shutters that keep out the light at night. Rooms cost from £170 (Dh808).
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Match info
Manchester City 3 (Jesus 22', 50', Sterling 69')
Everton 1 (Calvert-Lewin 65')
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 1
Alonso (62')
Huddersfield Town 1
Depoitre (50')
MATCH INFO
Quarter-finals
Saturday (all times UAE)
England v Australia, 11.15am
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm
Sunday
Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm
The%20specs
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The%20National%20selections
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Top Hundred overseas picks
London Spirit: Kieron Pollard, Riley Meredith
Welsh Fire: Adam Zampa, David Miller, Naseem Shah
Manchester Originals: Andre Russell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Sean Abbott
Northern Superchargers: Dwayne Bravo, Wahab Riaz
Oval Invincibles: Sunil Narine, Rilee Rossouw
Trent Rockets: Colin Munro
Birmingham Phoenix: Matthew Wade, Kane Richardson
Southern Brave: Quinton de Kock
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
'Midnights'
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
UAE Premiership
Results
Dubai Exiles 24-28 Jebel Ali Dragons
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 43-27 Dubai Hurricanes
Fixture
Friday, March 29, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Jebel Ali Dragons, The Sevens, Dubai
The biog
Place of birth: Kalba
Family: Mother of eight children and has 10 grandchildren
Favourite traditional dish: Al Harees, a slow cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled cracked or coarsely ground wheat mixed with meat or chicken
Favourite book: My early life by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah
Favourite quote: By Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's Founding Father, “Those who have no past will have no present or future.”
TOURNAMENT INFO
Fixtures
Sunday January 5 - Oman v UAE
Monday January 6 - UAE v Namibia
Wednesday January 8 - Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 - Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid, Darius D’Silva, Karthik Meiyappan, Jonathan Figy, Vriitya Aravind, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Chirag Suri
The%20specs
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Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur (3.30pm)
Burnley v Huddersfield Town (7pm)
Everton v Bournemouth (7pm)
Manchester City v Crystal Palace (7pm)
Southampton v Manchester United (7pm)
Stoke City v Chelsea (7pm)
Swansea City v Watford (7pm)
Leicester City v Liverpool (8.30pm)
Sunday
Brighton and Hove Albion v Newcastle United (7pm)
Monday
Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion (11pm)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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Norway
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Canada
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Australia
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Dubai Rugby Sevens
November 30, December 1-2
International Vets
Christina Noble Children’s Foundation fixtures
Thursday, November 30:
10.20am, Pitch 3, v 100 World Legends Project
1.20pm, Pitch 4, v Malta Marauders
Friday, December 1:
9am, Pitch 4, v SBA Pirates
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
THE BIO
Ambition: To create awareness among young about people with disabilities and make the world a more inclusive place
Job Title: Human resources administrator, Expo 2020 Dubai
First jobs: Co-ordinator with Magrudy Enterprises; HR coordinator at Jumeirah Group
Entrepreneur: Started his own graphic design business
Favourite singer: Avril Lavigne
Favourite travel destination: Germany and Saudi Arabia
Family: Six sisters
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
The specs: 2017 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali
Price, base / as tested Dh207,846 / Dh220,000
Engine 6.2L V8
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Power 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque 624Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined 13.5L / 100km
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
