We live in a time of unprecedented challenges. From problems related to climate change, health, nutrition and energy to the unfolding implications and possibilities of the digital revolution, the issues that confront nations, institutions and individuals in the 21st century are complex and multi-faceted. How we respond will define the future of our planet, and I passionately believe that education has a fundamental role to play. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 is a bold and ambitious attempt to respond to the challenges of the modern world. The Kingdom has already demonstrated its ability to adapt to rapid transformation, witnessing an eight-fold expansion of its population in the space of 50 years. However, the transition from a commodities-based economy to a knowledge economy is a difficult task for any country. It will not happen overnight. With the resources now being invested in education by Saudi Arabia, the opportunities for transformation are numerous. The Kingdom is the world’s biggest spender on higher education by percentage of GDP, but to achieve a positive and wide-reaching impact this investment must include all talent. Even with over 800 years of distinguished history, my institution, the University of Cambridge, is still grappling with the problems such noble aspirations bring. For example, the gender imbalance at professorial level remains a challenge. Only one in six Cambridge professors is female. Recognizing that diversity plays an important role in sustaining excellence and in fostering innovation is the first step to the future. Taking that recognition and turning it into reality is a significant challenge but it is also an exciting one, calling us to reach higher, do better and achieve more. With the resources now being invested in education by Saudi Arabia, the opportunities for transformation are numerous. Sir Leszek Borysiewicz The important steps taken by the Kingdom to advance education, particularly the education of women through the work of organizations like Community Jameel and at institutions like Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, is to be commended. A culture of diversity in education not only empowers individuals, it fosters the discovery of new ideas and the challenging of old ones to create new knowledge that is essential if societies are to adapt and thrive. Nurtured by the diversity and exploratory learning culture of its university, Cambridge has become Europe’s pre-eminent cluster of innovation. More than 1,500 technology-based firms employ over 57,000 people and generate more than £13 billion ($17 billion) in revenue annually. Today, 26 percent of people in and around Cambridge work in a knowledge-intensive sector of the economy — more than double the UK national average. This has been made possible through the university’s strong focus on entrepreneurship as a subject for both academic and practical pursuit, and it is exciting to see the Kingdom embracing a similar approach in its institutions of higher learning. During the Islamic Golden Age of the 8th and 9th centuries, scholars across the Middle East brought about a revolution in human knowledge and innovation. The advances in astronomy, physics and mathematics laid the foundations for some of the greatest leaps in human progress. As well as being a great period of innovation, it was also an era of connectedness. Knowledge was the common currency between East and West; its advancement through freedom of inquiry was the common project of Muslims, Jews and Christians alike. Collaboration in the pursuit of knowledge brought peoples together rewardingly and their prolific achievements remain impressive today. In looking forward to 2030 and beyond, all of us — institutions and nations alike — should commit ourselves to regaining that sense of common endeavor, of education and innovation underpinned by collaboration. We will then be in the best position to meet the challenges that face us and build a future of promise and hope for all the peoples of the world. Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz served as the 345th Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. This article is part of a series on the future of education, published in collaboration with Community Jameel. Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Arab News" point-of-view