RIYADH: Prince Abdullah bin Bandar, Minister of the Saudi National Guard, will officially open the second Riyadh Global Medical Biotechnology Summit on Jan 25, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.

The two-day event will bring together key local and international figures from the biotechnology research and development and pharmaceutical industries to create the Riyadh Declaration for Biotechnology, which aims to position Saudi Arabia as a global biotech hub.

During the summit, which will take place under the patronage of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, local, regional and international delegates from academia, industry and the public sector will discuss recent global developments in medical biotechnology, with the goal of building global strategic partnerships in the field.

The summit is one of the key initiatives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 national development and diversification agenda, and part of a series of plans relating to the medical biotechnology industry in the country.