Riyadh – Saudi Arabia has entered into a new era for science, technology, and innovation, and its indicators have started to emerge, said Dr. Munir bin Mahmoud El-Desouki, the President of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology.
He made this remark during the inaugural ministerial meeting of the Science, Technology, and Innovation Forum of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The meeting, hosted virtually by Almaty, was chaired by Kazakh Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek and included several senior officials from OIC member countries.
“The Kingdom advanced 15 places in the Global Innovation Index in 2022. Winning prizes and top ranks in international competitions has become a yearly tradition for the Kingdom’s students and talents. This includes winning 27 awards at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) 2023 conference, making Saudi Arabia the second country in the world in terms of the number of awards,” Dr. El-Desouki pointed out.
Dr. El-Desouki, who supervises the team establishing the Research, Development, and Innovation Development Authority, also mentioned the Kingdom’s second space mission to the International Space Station, which aims to conduct 14 scientific experiments to benefit humanity.
Dr. El-Desouki emphasized that this historic event signals a new era for science, technology, and innovation in the Kingdom. This objective was outlined last year when HRH, the Crown Prince of the Kingdom, announced the national priorities for the research, development, and innovation sector, committing the Kingdom to invest 2.5 percent of its GDP in this sector by 2040.
Dr El-Desouki expressed hope that the forum would facilitate the exchange of knowledge and experiences among OIC members. He emphasized the Kingdom’s readiness, represented by the Research, Development, and Innovation Development Authority, to explore and activate opportunities for cooperation to benefit all citizens of Muslim countries and to portray a positive image of Arabs and Muslims in science and technology.
During the meeting, participants discussed the importance of harnessing fourth industrial revolution technologies to improve OIC member states’ readiness for artificial intelligence, specialist exchange, and data sharing. They approved the Forum’s objectives, governance, and technical committees, which cover new technologies, health and medicine, food security, water, climate change, environmental challenges, education, technology incubators, and science parks.
The Forum was initiated in 2017 as a dialogue and consultative platform among the leading OIC countries in science, technology, and innovation. Its aim is to discuss ways to boost innovation in OIC countries and to leverage science and technology in achieving developmental goals.