King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) hosted the Future Talent Conference, where experts discussed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goals to increase non-oil revenue, raise the private sector’s GDP contribution and lower unemployment rates. The conference emphasized the importance of preparing young people with the necessary knowledge and training to meet the demands of the rapidly changing Saudi economy. KAUST is contributing significantly to the research and innovation ecosystem, supporting the Kingdom’s development. Experts also stressed the importance of industry collaboration to align academic programs with technology research requirements, ensuring young people’s education matches workforce skills development. SaudiVax, a biotechnology firm, is developing vaccines and biologics to meet unmet regional medical demands and is contributing to building a biotechnological ecosystem in the Kingdom. The company’s training program aims to bring more Saudis into the pharma sector, covering the development stage and the upscaling and marketing of new products.
Bridging the Kingdom’s rapidly changing economy and top talent development.
In her opening remarks, Dr. Najah Ashry, Vice President of KAUST for Strategic National Advancement, noted that the Kingdom is in the midst of a significant transformation towards a sustainable future.
The Future Talent Conference: Fireside Talks
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goals involve major changes to increase non-oil revenue, raise the private sector’s GDP contribution and lower unemployment rates. In line with this, KAUST’s Vice President for Strategic National Advancement, Dr. Najah Ashry, emphasized the importance of preparing young people with the necessary knowledge and training to meet the demands of the rapidly changing Saudi economy. She noted that the Kingdom is undergoing a “massive transformation towards a sustainable future” that is unparalleled in history.
Advancements and Opportunities
KAUST, as a world-leading graduate research education institution, is contributing significantly to the research and innovation ecosystem, supporting the Kingdom’s development. The Future Talent Conference highlighted the impact on Saudi students’ career paths due to the diversity of the country’s economy, which empowers its youth. Dana Al-Sulaiman, an assistant professor at KAUST, believes that Saudi is becoming more diverse in terms of its economy, allowing the whole society to work towards well-defined goals and objectives.
Importance of Industry Collaboration
Experts at the conference emphasized the importance of industry collaboration to align academic programs with technology research requirements, ensuring young people’s education matches workforce skills development. The Saudi Green Initiative provides job growth, and industry collaboration is critical to academic alignment, says Shinkyu Park, an assistant professor at KAUST. With the Kingdom’s plan to increase the presence of SMEs in the overall economy, Omar Khasawneh, startup incubation lead at KAUST, believes young people will have much more access to capital to start their own companies or join an early-stage enterprise. This will change the dynamics for attracting and retaining talent, with larger employers forced to compete for a limited pool of available skilled workers.
Biotechnological Advancements
SaudiVax, a biotechnology firm developing vaccines and biologics to meet unmet regional medical demands, is contributing to building a biotechnological ecosystem in the Kingdom. Leena Alameer, Project Manager, noted the firm’s training program aimed to bring more Saudis into the pharma sector. This program covers the development stage and the upscaling and marketing of new products, particularly vaccines.
Don’t miss interesting posts on Famousbio
