JEDDAH — The four keys of Saudi Arabia's national priorities for research, development and innovation, announced by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, will be a compass to guide future projects and initiatives. Health and wellness sits at the top of the national priorities. The importance accorded to human health by the Kingdom is well manifested in its advanced infrastructure for medical research, its possession of the best medical system in the region, the presence of an expanded genetic database, and other competitive advantages. Through this priority, the Kingdom aims to provide people with a better and longer healthy life through addressing the prevailing medical challenges in the Kingdom and the world, providing digital healthcare to ensure health equity, and supplying the world with biotech solutions. Saudi Arabia seeks, through the priority of sustainable environment and supply of essential needs, to become a global model in preserving the planet and providing basic needs of water, food and sustainable energy. The Kingdom will develop environmentally friendly technologies for water supply and desalination along with modern and sustainable technologies for food production, increased green spaces, carbon capture, utilization and storage technologies, and sustainable technologies for low-cost electricity generation. In view of the Kingdom's natural wealth and competitive advantages in the energy and industrial sectors, energy and industrial leadership has been identified as another priority. The Kingdom will seek to create technologies for the production of alternative energy such as green hydrogen, solar and wind. In addition, the industrial sector will be directed to produce technologically advanced and high-value industries, and to develop the mining sector competitively and sustainably. Economies of the Future has been chosen one of the four priority areas, building on the Kingdom's competitive and leadership advantages through investments in futuristic cities such as NEOM and the Red Sea Project, coupled with a talented pool of young Saudis already engaged in research, development and innovation (RDI) as well as a world-class digital infrastructure. This priority aspires to promote innovation in digital technologies, develop the future of urban life and build human-friendly and carbon-free cognitive cities, in addition to exploring deep seas and building a global position for the Kingdom in the field of space. The national aspirations and priorities will serve as the cornerstone for the development of the national strategy for RDI, which will be announced at a later stage. This will be followed by ambitious national programs to solve major challenges facing the Kingdom and the world. The Kingdom will warmly welcome the participation of researchers and pioneers in this journey of innovation for the sake of humanity, it was pointed out.
