The crown prince of Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, awarded Badir Program for Technology Incubators the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Award for Young Business Leaders (YBL) for the best incubators and accelerators.
The award was received by Nawaf Al-Sahhaf, CEO of Badir Program, during an event at Dubai World Trade Center on Monday.
Badir Program is one the leading initiatives launched by the King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST).
The jury lauded the program’s achievements, including growth performance indicators, creativity and innovation, social responsibility, organizational excellence and active contributions to support small- and medium-sized enterprises and technology startups.
Speaking on this occasion, Al-Sahhaf commended the program’s winning of the award, which reflects its performance and plans to develop and support technical entrepreneurship and incubators throughout the Kingdom, and its success in helping female and male Saudi entrepreneurs transform their technical ideas into successful investment projects by providing the right environment for the growth of technology startups.
Al-Sahhaf said: “Since its inception, Badir Program was able to provide its specialized services to more than 200 technology startups. In 2017, the number of technology startups incubated by the program increased to 157, as we plan to support the establishment of 600 new companies that will contribute to the provision of 3,600 jobs for Saudi young men and women, as part of the National Transformation Program 2020.”
He said the program’s most important achievements last year were the establishment and operation of three technology incubators in the Kingdom, the opening and launching of the first business accelerator in Riyadh, as well as the support and organization of more than 65 entrepreneurship events, including three events for Demo Day that gathered start-up companies and financing investors.
A first of its kind in the region, the YBL award aims to create a competitive environment among entrepreneurs to honor and motivate individuals and institutions that have contributed to the development of the entrepreneurial sector performance.
Badir Program wins YBL award for best incubators
Badir Program wins YBL award for best incubators
German Minister of Economy and Energy visits Juffali Industrial Business Park in KAEC
Juffali recently welcomed German Federal Minister of Economy and Energy Katherina Reiche, during an official visit to the Juffali Industrial Business Park in King Abdullah Economic City, in the presence of Khaled Juffali, chairman of Juffali, and senior executives. The visit, on Feb. 2, marks a significant milestone in strengthening Saudi–German industrial cooperation.
Covering a total land area of 400,000 square meters, the business park serves as a strategic platform for advanced manufacturing and industrial localization in the Kingdom. The visit highlighted key joint industrial projects developed in collaboration with leading global partners, reflecting a shared commitment to long-term investment, technology transfer, and local value creation.
The official program included welcoming remarks and ceremonial milestones, during which Liebherr laid the foundation stone for its factory, while Juffali Industrial Products Company and National Automobile Industry placed the cornerstone for their manufacturing facility, symbolizing the advancement of two flagship industrial projects within the business park.
The Juffali Industrial Products Company and National Automobile Industry facility will have an annual production capacity of 6,000 trucks, while Liebherr’s plant is designed to produce up to 1,000 concrete mixers annually. Both facilities will operate with 100 percent local assembly and manufacturing in Saudi Arabia, reinforcing the Kingdom’s localization agenda and supporting the development of national industrial capabilities.
These projects represent a significant addition to Saudi Arabia’s industrial ecosystem and align closely with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, supporting sustainable industrial growth, job creation, and high-value manufacturing.
Khaled Juffali reaffirmed Juffali’s commitment to expanding international partnerships and contributing to the Kingdom’s economic diversification through long-term industrial collaboration with leading global partners, further strengthening KAEC’s position as a regional hub for advanced manufacturing.
