Regardless of the industry or economic sector, innovation through science and technology lies at the heart of Saudi Arabia's socioeconomic development strategy, with new ideas and approaches encouraged, and funding readily available to transform the best concepts from ideas on the drawing board into reality.

Spearheading the country's transformation into a global science and technology powerhouse is the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) — Saudi Arabia's national science agency. This forward-thinking government agency supports and enhances applied research, as part of the drive to create a knowledge-based economy and industrial diversification. Through its own research institutes and joint centers of excellence it has set up with leading international partners, it carries out cutting-edge research and development in fields seen as strategic for Saudi Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Program (NTP) 2020. The latter program, NTP 2020, was set up in order to build the institutional capacity and capabilities the country needs to achieve Saudi Vision 2030's ambitious goals.

KACST also funds research and innovation, both nationally and globally. For example, its Badir technology incubator program aims to attract, support and mentor entrepreneurs in telecommunications and information technology, mobile applications and digital media. Based in Riyadh, the organization also works closely with the government and other stakeholders to identify national priorities and policies in technology and science, coordinate the activities of government institutions and research centers, and oversee Saudi Arabia's patents office.

Prince Dr. Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud is president of KACST, in addition to being chairman of the Saudi Technology Development and Investment Company, TAQNIA, set up in 2011 to localize technology in Saudi Arabia and commercialize the output of its research and development (R&D) centers.

In the following interview, he gives his view on the many opportunities available for collaborations in science and technology between Saudi Arabia and Japan.

How will Saudi Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Program (NTP) 2020, both based on innovation and R&D, shift Saudi Arabia toward a knowledge-based economy in partnership with Japan?

Saudi Vision 2030 provides the basis and mandate to successfully incorporate science, technology and innovation into the national transformation process.

To address national innovation challenges and barriers, KACST has fundamentally aligned its initiatives within the NTP 2020, to promote innovation and drive increasing localization and development of technology in large domestic spending sectors.

KACST is also supporting R&D to ensure the sustainability of the local content development system — that means developing our local industrial output and manufacturing, supporting emerging technology companies with added value and strengthening the capability of national small and medium-sized companies.

KACST established the Joint Centers of Excellence Program, to expand and strengthen its international collaboration with leading institutions in academia and industry.

The Center of Excellence in Astronautics and Aeronautics with Stanford University, the Center of Complex Engineering Systems with Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Center of Excellence for advanced Materials and Manufacturing with the University of Cambridge and the Center of Excellence for Green Nanotechnologies with the University of California, Los Angeles, are examples of our recently established centers.

Furthermore, the creation of TAQNIA, a technology company owned by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund and a strategic partner, serves as the commercial arm for Saudi research institutions, including KACST, and provides venture capital funding services to industry.

Both KACST and TAQNIA believe in the significant role of international collaboration, such as our very important pact with Japan, and are eager to form alliances and establish joint cooperation with Japanese partners.


How would KACST and TAQNIA like to partner with the SoftBank Vision Fund, to develop technology-based industrial opportunities, transfer know-how and grow these technologies into sustainable businesses in Saudi Arabia?

There are a number of potential opportunities where KACST, TAQNIA and SoftBank can collaborate and where we believe a mutually beneficial partnership can be created. These areas can be grouped under two categories.

Firstly, global leadership in sectors where Saudi Arabia has a competitive advantage, which include water, energy, advanced materials, petrochemicals, oil and gas.

Secondly, sectors where the kingdom seeks self-reliance and sectors with large government spending, such as health and medicine, information and communication technology (ICT), transportation and construction.

The SoftBank Vision Fund can provide a growth path for companies we create, or partner with, which are aligned with Saudi Vision 2030 and have the potential for very high return on investment. An example is a company we own in the U.S.'s Silicon Valley called Solar Junction. It has the highest solar efficiency in the world and is pioneering products for space applications.

How can KACST and TAQNIA cooperate with Japanese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in renewable energy, to harness solar power for the production of desalinated water? What other fields of manufacturing would be suitable for KACST and TAQNIA cooperation with Japanese partners?

Saudi Arabia recognizes that Japanese companies have continuously been pioneers in design and R&D, as well as in manufacturing. Based on this, the kingdom assigns great value to partnerships with Japanese companies.

There are many possibilities that both KACST and TAQNIA are focused on, and intend to establish partnerships in, which include robotics, advanced and nanomaterials, biotechnology and energy.

With regards to the Saudi Electricity Company, it plans to install millions of smart meters as a substitute for the electromechanical ones currently installed. KACST and TAQNIA will work together with a suitable Japanese partner to design and produce a commercially based smart meter.

As for renewable energy, Saudi Arabia is planning to introduce about 10 GW of power by 2023. A large portion of this capacity will be from solar energy and water desalination is an ideal application for solar energy in the kingdom. KACST and TAQNIA can cooperate with suitable Japanese SME's in this vital area.

KACST has embarked on an ambitious journey to desalinate seawater using solar energy at low cost, to contribute to the kingdom's water security and support the national economy.

The objective of the first phase is to build a solar plant for reverse osmosis water desalination in the city of Al Khafji, with a capacity of up to 60,000 cubic meters per day.

We also aim to build a solar power plant with a capacity of 20 MW to supply electricity to the desalination plant. The Advanced Water Technology Company, a subsidiary of TAQNIA, is currently constructing the solar water desalination plant in Al Khafji, which will be commissioned this year.

With the national direction of diversifying away from the kingdom's oil dependence, TAQNIA will continue with such projects and is interested in establishing partnerships with Japanese companies that are known for their outstanding engineering capabilities, in order to expand the introduction of new innovations.

In addition, TAQNIA has partnered with Riyad Capital to launch the kingdom's first venture capital fund approved by the Capital Market Authority. The fund size is about $135 million and it is directed at SMEs within the sectors of sustainable energy, material science and ICT, both locally and globally.

Japanese SMEs with world-class technologies and craftsmanship have a great deal to offer and we believe TAQNIA is the right partner to enable expedient and successful technology transfer to Saudi Arabia.

How important to KACST and TAQNIA is attending Japan-Saudi Joint Group for Vision 2030 meetings in order to build synergies with Japanese counterparts?

We are very much looking forward to our next Joint Group for Vision 2030 meeting and to creating collaborations. Commercial partnerships supported by government cooperation allow for fruitful outcomes and increase dramatically the success of such cooperation.

KACST and TAQNIA's presence in the joint group meetings is essential, and will naturally bring unique synergistic opportunities for both exceptional countries. As an example, the opportunities may include joint collaborations in water technology, with a focus on water desalination, as well as in advanced materials including composites.

In the field of energy, renewable energy storage system technologies, single and dual-axis sun-tracking systems, solar energy, nanotechnology, concentrated solar power and concentrating photovoltaic technologies are all good candidates.

Also, the biotechnology sector is of great importance to KACST and TAQNIA and we are looking to explore the right opportunity with the right strategic partners. Japan's historically strong achievements in the field of ICT are expected to drive many Saudi-Japanese joint projects in areas including space utilization and cyber security.

In addition, Badir, a technology incubator program launched by KACST, can participate in the Japan-Saudi Joint Group in the context of entrepreneurship, innovation, incubation and acceleration.

KACST thrives on working and partnering with Japanese entities such as the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan. It sees the resultant exchange of information and expertise as driving the growth of the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

KACST has also reached out to the University of Tokyo and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, one of the largest public research organizations in Japan, to collaborate in establishing and developing joint research and innovation centers.

On a side note, we are willing to have further discussions with the Japan Cooperation Center for the Middle East and Japan Bank for International Cooperation to explore and facilitate investment opportunities relevant to Saudi Vision 2030, to expand the scope of activities in technology-based industries and to accelerate the transfer of knowledge.


What is your final message to Japan's trading houses, private businesspeople and SME's, about developing knowledge-based industries and high-end technology through joint ventures and strategic partnerships?

I would like to take this opportunity to mention that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, first deputy prime minister, minister of defense and chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs, has stated in his foreword of the Saudi Vision 2030 plan that "we will encourage our major corporations to expand across borders and take their rightful place in global markets."

KACST and TAQNIA are ready to do that. We are open, with great willingness, to cooperate with R&D centers, universities, industry corporations and SMEs in Japan.

We look forward to exchanging views and exploring the areas of possible cooperation that are of mutual interest to all parties, and hope to create collaborations that will improve the welfare, sustainable growth and prosperity of both of our people.