RIYADH, 2 December 2007 — King Saud University will sign today an agreement with Sweden’s aerospace and defense technology giant Saab for the setting up of an Advanced Technologies Research Center (ATRC), it was announced at a press conference here yesterday.
The new center, which will be staffed by leading research scientists from the Kingdom and abroad, is being built as part of the Kingdom’s drive to promote a knowledge-based economy. Around 25 Swedish professors and research scientists are expected to attend the signing ceremony. Students at the center will comprise both Saudis and non-Saudis and will be selected on the basis of merit after meeting stringent admission criteria.
Addressing the press conference, Dr. Abdullah Al-Othman, rector of King Saud University, said KSU’s decision to set up a high-class research center was in line with a call given by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to upgrade the quality of higher education and scientific research. He added that the program would focus on applied research targeting areas of national priority.
“The media has been complaining from time to time that research conducted in the Kingdom is not yielding any practical result that can benefit the national economy. ATRC will help to fill the gap,” he said.
Dr. Zeyad Alhekail, vice president of educational and academic affairs and head of the Advance Technology Research Center (ATRC), said the research center would serve as a role model for other centers in the Kingdom. “This center will mark the start of the KSU’s strategy to collaborate with national and international institutions. It will not be confined to KSU alone but will be available for research projects from anywhere. What matters is that the result of this research will benefit the national economy,” he said.
He added that the agreement with reputable national and international research centers would enhance the KSU’s research programs and expertise in high-tech areas of strategic importance to the Kingdom.
Swedish Ambassador Jan Thessleff described it as a milestone in Saudi-Swedish relations. “What we are marketing today is not a product but something completely different. It represents the transfer of technology between Saudi Arabia and Sweden, as it seeks to create a link between research and socio-economic development in the Kingdom,” he said.
The ambassador paid tribute to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for his call to upgrade the quality of higher education and scientific research.
Machael Cadier, Saab country manager, said his company would lend its expertise in the setting up of the research center. He said it was encouraging that the KSU had decided to combine basic and applied research to integrate technologies, and that its results would have far-reaching implications for the national economy.
In response to a question, Al-Othman said the students and the academic staff at the research center would be drawn from both the Kingdom and abroad. To this end, it will seek the partnership of the private sector to sponsor research.
Elaborating on the rector’s remarks, Alhekail said it had become a standard norm for universities all over the world to conduct research and development with the aid of highly qualified research scientists and outstanding students. Even in the US, more than 50 percent of researchers and students come from outside that country, he added.
