The Saudi Electronic University (SEU) has launched a women's research accelerator WEmpower with the participation of a select group of research experts from multiple public universities and government institutions around Saudi Arabia. The program is offered to SEU female faculty and postgraduate students virtually for 10 days with the oversight of the Vice Presidency for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research. The program offers the participants the opportunity to connect with and learn from research experts with over 60 sessions interactively or in the form of master classes or individually that support them in building their research capacity and skills in multiple areas such as quantitative and qualitative research, mixed methods and literature reviews, academic writing skills, referencing and citation, meta-analysis and the use of several programs and applications for research. They also include the importance of understanding research ethics and the principles of innovation in research and how to obtain funding and teamwork skills and the requirements for academic promotion, as well as publishing research in peer-reviewed journals. This program is a result of the university's vision to promote a culture of research quality and build the capacity of its faculty and students, bearing in mind the challenges facing female academics during the COVID-19 pandemic and in line with Saudi Vision 2030 to build the society and the knowledge economy, empower women, and activate the digital platforms and the capacity for innovation. In her opening remarks, the university president Dr. Lilac Ahmad Al-Safadi thanked the experts leading the program and encouraged the participants to benefit from the content and the opportunity, pointing out that the WEmpower women's research accelerator program is one of the key activities for the university in building the culture of research and innovation and activating the digital platforms, and shining a light on the brilliant capabilities of local experts in research to support the production of valuable projects. She emphasized that research and innovation are among the most important engines of economic growth and a major axis of the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, among them encouraging scientific research and innovation, enhancing the role of women in achieving these goals, and supporting minds and talents to produce scientific research of high value and quality that contributes to building the country in all fields. — SPA
