Saudi investors have appealed to King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) to help them tap advanced technology used by industries abroad, saying they need greater assistance from research institutions to push the nation's industrial development. The request came during a presentation at KAUST about the university's research projects in science and technology Saturday evening. Commenting on the motion, Raed Bkayrat, head of the Technology Advancement Group at KAUST, said the proposed projects "require time" and will also need development of manpower. Bkayrat said the university at present does not have the ability to provide consultancy services to industrial investors. The investors underlined the need for transferring technical knowhow to boost the country's industrial growth. The discussion took place at the first session of the fifth Jeddah Industrial Forum which was inaugurated by Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Governor of Makkah, and attended by Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, Minister of Commerce and Industry. The forum called for the establishment of an industrial city in Bahra, increasing the areas allocated for industrial projects, opening a branch for the Industrial Fund in Makkah region, and also called on local banks to provide loans with low benefits for youth projects. In his inaugural speech, Prince Khaled Al said an area of 40 million sq. meters will be allocated for new industrial projects in Jeddah. This, he said, is essential to win the Kingdom its deserved place in the industrial world. The prince emphasized the importance of security and stability to ensure industrial development. "Enough consumption, it is time for production," the prince told the participants. Prince Khaled signed agreements with the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Council of Saudi Cambers to ensure greater participation by young industrialists. Participants in the fourth session focused on the involvement of youth and women in the industrial sector. Olfat Qabani, deputy head of the industrial committee at the JCCI, said yesterday on the side of the session that there is a need to develop procedures to help promote the local production of youth. She called on the need for private and public bodies to collaborate to help youth invest in this sector. "We need a team that constitute of municipalities, ministries, funds and grand companies to put a schedule that will enhance the presence of youth in this sector," Qabani added. She also called for providing training for youth and help put feasibility studies for their projects. This will help overcome the issue of unemployment by promoting freelance works, she noted. __
