Research and development is one of the essential pillars for achieving the goals of the Vision 2030 The initiative is the result of an MOU signed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his recent visit to the UK LONDON: Saudi Arabia plans to forge new links with UK academic and research institutions as part of a $1.6 billion initiative to enhance the Kingdom’s domestic research & development capabilities. A high-level Saudi delegation, representing the country’s Ministry of Education and leading public universities, is visiting the UK this week to explore R&D partnership opportunities, with a focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics. “The initiative is the result of an MOU signed by His Highness the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his recent visit to the UK, committing to enhancing bilateral cooperation in science and technology, higher education, engineering and investment,” Dr. Hisham Alhadlaq, the director general of the Ministry of Education’s newly-created Research and Development Office (RDO), told Arab News. The RDO’s international collaboration program allows for $75 million to be spent with international R&D partners. In the coming months and years, the office will launch further capacity- and capability-building programs, which will also rely on international support. “International collaboration and world interaction are very important to us and we have met several bodies in the UK during our visit so far and they have expressed the same priority,” said Alhadlaq. “Through this, our main goal is to benefit our society, first and foremost, but the international community as well.” The Saudi government has committed to invest 6 billion riyals ($1.6 billion) between now and 2020 to enhance the capacity and capability of Saudi publicly-funded universities to conduct high quality and high impact R&D. The area underpins underpins large parts of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 transformation program, as the country seeks to improve its international competitiveness and diversify its economy. “We believe in human capital and human resource investment as essential whether at a Masters degree or a PhD level, and we aim to improve and develop university infrastructure,” said Alhadlaq. The Saudi delegation’s visit to the UK is aimed at fact-finding and building relationship that will enhance the research and development of higher education in the Kingdom and further the country’s Vision 2030. Alhadlaq acknowledged Britain as a leading force in the educational field and praised their policy of “a return on investment”, stressing that Saudi Arabia wanted to benefit from the UK’s experience in R&D. He said that several meetings have been held on ways to develop bilateral cooperation in the educational sector, as well as promoting innovation, since the RDO’s creation in March. Sir Anthony Seldon, vice chancellor of the UK’s University of Buckingham, visited the Kingdom recently as part of efforts to further research collaboration. Seldon accepted an unpaid role as a special representative for education for a UK-Saudi education program, which will see him identify priorities for the Kingdom’s education program from primary level to higher education. The program “includes providing intellectual leadership and a strategic steer to the UK / Saudi education partnership, working closely with both governments to develop a coherent program for change and forging links between the UK and Saudi education systems,” according to the University of Buckingham’s website. Alhadlaq told Arab News that the RDO and the Ministry of Education were focussing particularly on the role of virtual learning schemes. Both bodies are in discussions with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US to set up virtual classrooms for students, in an effort to cost cut costs and improve efficiency, while at the same time exchanging valuable expertise.