In compliance with the directives of MU Rector and vice-Rector for Graduates Studies and Scientific Research Prof. Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Shaye, a delegation headed by Dr. Thamer Al-Harbi and the Vice-Dean of Scientific Research for Technical Affairs Dr. Saeed Banwas participated in the International Collaboration Initiative Conference organized by the Research and Development Office (RDO) of the Ministry of Education.
Dr. Hesham Al-Hadlaq, General Supervisor of Research and Development Office at the Ministry of Education, presented the workshop which focused on introducing the public universities to the initiative objectives and types of funding it provides as well as the required fields and who is eligible to apply. All the universities’ questions regarding the initiative and the terms of application were answered.
The grant is open for PhD holders (faculty member or researcher) at Saudi public or private university who are specialized in research areas such as energy and renewable sources of energy, petrochemicals, water, environment, information technology, health and life sciences.
Launched in 2017, the Program for Supporting Research and Development is ran and followed-up by the Office of Research and Development at the Ministry of Education. Six billion Saudi riyals has been allocated as a budget for the program till 2020.
The focus of the Program for Supporting Research and Development is in line with the Kingdom and the National Vision 2030 that aims to increase KSA’s competitiveness and university rankings which highlights the overall importance of research and development for the Kingdom.