The Riyadh Techno Valley (RTV) is one of the contributions of

King Saud University King Saud University (KSU, ar, جامعة الملك سعود) is a public university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Established in 1957 by Saud of Saudi Arabia, King Saud bin Abdulaziz to address the country's skilled worker shortage, it is the firs ...

in building partnership with the public and private sectors in the area of knowledge economics. The Kingdom of

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries by area, fifth-largest country in Asia ...

has adopted a long term economic strategy that shifts its focus to develop a

knowledge-based economy The knowledge economy (or the knowledge-based economy) is an economic system in which the production of goods and services is based principally on knowledge-intensive activities that contribute to advancement in technical and scientific inno ...

. King Saud University (KSU) is seeking to play a full part in this strategy through the development of a substantial

science and technology park A science park (also called a "university research park", "technology park”, "technopark", “technopole", or a "science and technology park" (STP)) is defined as being a property-based development that accommodates and fosters the growt ...

, “Riyadh Techno Valley - King Saud University (RTV-KSU)”, on its

Riyadh Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, Literal translation, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi Arabic, Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyad ...

campus. Through this project, KSU aims to satisfy the demands of the knowledge-based industries, and to commercialize its research outcomes, in addition to enhancing the research environment and encouraging researchers and graduates to participate in the incubation program and to establish spin-off knowledge-based companies.

Vision

To be a leading university technology park that promotes the culture of innovation and competence for its associated knowledge-based institutions and business partners.

Mission

Providing a stimulating and attractive environment for R&D, which will contribute to achieving

sustainability Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livin ...

development Development or developing may refer to: Arts *Development hell, when a project is stuck in development *Filmmaking, development phase, including finance and budgeting *Development (music), the process thematic material is reshaped *Photographi ...

, as well as enhancing competitiveness of the national economy.

Objectives

• Transferring and developing technology to serve the national economy and achieve sustainable development. • Promoting the university’s cooperation with research and developing centers locally and internationally. • Creating a stimulating and attractive environment for local and global investment by establishing specialized firms in research and development. • Discovering, attracting and adopting innovators from within and outside the Kingdom. • Enhancing the utilization of knowledge and skills of all university students to achieve harmony between the output of education and the demands of industry. • Generating distinguished job opportunities in knowledge industry arenas.

History

On 19 October 1426 Hijri The Council of Ministers approved the 8th Development Plan of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which included the call for the "establishment of science parks at universities and research centers", and to direct "more attention to the promotion of co-financing and joint research programs between industry and public sector institutions, and the establishment of

business incubators Business incubator is an organization that helps startup companies and individual entrepreneurs to develop their businesses by providing a fullscale range of services starting with management training and office space and ending with venture cap ...

in order to transform research results into industrial and commercial applications." Thus, on 20 November 1429 Hijri the King Saud University Council passed a resolution approving the creation of the Riyadh Techno Valley.

Value of King Saud University

Many factors distinguish King Saud University as a unique scientific and educational institution including: • Located uniquely in the capital of the Kingdom. • Having the King Abdullah Institute for Nanotechnology & Prince Sultan Institute for Advanced Technology on its premises, along with laboratories and research centers in

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...

, China,

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

, Sweden, and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. • Ranking as number one in the

Arab world The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...

for

patents A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A p ...

registered. • Enjoying infrastructure valued over 70 billion

Saudi Riyal The Saudi riyal ( ar, ريال سعودي ') is the currency of Saudi Arabia. It is abbreviated as or SAR ''(Saudi Arabian Riyal)''. It is subdivided into 100 halalas ( ar, هللة '). The currency is pegged to the US dollar at a constant rate ...

, ($18.7 billion). • Benefiting from a global network of alliances with top universities and research centers in more than 12 developed countries. • Signing service contracts with 14

Nobel Prize winners The Nobel Prizes ( sv, Nobelpriset, no, Nobelprisen) are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institutet, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals and organizations who make ou ...

in various scientific specialties.

Main Research Areas of RTV

Three areas of research and technology have been proposed for the Valley as a result of feasibility studies based on the needs of the local and global market and the overall trend of the strategic plans of the Saudi Arabia, while keeping in mind the research areas that characterize the university. The feasibility studies were conducted by firms of international experience specialized in science parks. •

Chemicals A chemical substance is a form of matter having constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. Some references add that chemical substance cannot be separated into its constituent elements by physical separation methods, i.e., wit ...

Technologies and

Materials Material is a substance or mixture of substances that constitutes an object. Materials can be pure or impure, living or non-living matter. Materials can be classified on the basis of their physical and chemical properties, or on their geologica ...

. •

Biological Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary ...

Agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peopl ...

, and

Environmental A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...

technologies. •

Information and Communications Technologies Information and communications technology (ICT) is an extensional term for information technology (IT) that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications (telephone lines and wireless signals) and computers, ...

Chemical Technology and Materials

This research area has been selected for its importance of chemical and

petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crude ...

research and its subsidiary specialties for the Kingdom and because King Saud University is characterized by distinct possibilities for research in this field. The four sub-areas of research are: •

Petrochemicals Petrochemicals (sometimes abbreviated as petchems) are the chemical products obtained from petroleum by refining. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable s ...

technologies •

technologies • Materials technologies • Renewable Energy

Biological, Agricultural, and Environmental Technologies

This unique area links the strategic needs of the Kingdom in the areas of health and food to the progress of research at the university in these technologies. It is compatible with the results of local and international industry market analysis, as well as the trends and mergers in the international biological, environmental and agricultural technologies sector. The three sub-areas of research are: •

Pharmaceutical A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field and ...

technologies. •

Food science Food science is the basic science and applied science of food; its scope starts at overlap with agricultural science and nutritional science and leads through the scientific aspects of food safety and food processing, informing the developme ...

and

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peopl ...

technologies.

Information and Communications Technologies (ICT)

This area of research and development has been selected in view of the remarkable expansion and competition in the market of information and communications technology in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

with the growing demand for various

telecommunications Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than tha ...

services and

high speed internet Internet access is the ability of individuals and organizations to connect to the Internet using computer terminals, computers, and other devices; and to access services such as email and the World Wide Web. Internet access is sold by Internet ...

, as evident in surveys conducted by King Abdullah Institute for Research and Consulting Studies. This area of research also supports other research areas in the Valley. The sub-areas of research include: *

ICT ICT may refer to: Sciences and technology * Information and communications technology * Image Constraint Token, in video processing * Immunochromatographic test, a rapid immunoassay used to detect diseases such as anthrax * In-circuit test, in ...

Information security Information security, sometimes shortened to InfoSec, is the practice of protecting information by mitigating information risks. It is part of information risk management. It typically involves preventing or reducing the probability of unauthori ...

Electronic Services Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) is a term used for companies that design, manufacture, test, distribute, and provide return/repair services for electronic components and assemblies for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The concept i ...

Software Engineering Software engineering is a systematic engineering approach to software development. A software engineer is a person who applies the principles of software engineering to design, develop, maintain, test, and evaluate computer software. The term ' ...

Support and Recreational Zones of RTV

Two zones dedicated to support services, housing, and recreation are also important parts of RTV. These are:

Scientific Village

The residential, recreational, and educational zone of the project.

Central Core

The pulsating heart of the

science park A science park (also called a "university research park", "technology park”, "technopark", “technopole", or a "science and technology park" (STP)) is defined as being a property-based development that accommodates and fosters the growt ...

, which contains the Incubation Center, the Center for Entrepreneurs, Technology Transfer Office, in addition to the Office of Support Services and Operations, and the laboratories to serve the local market, as well as governmental centers for research and development.

References

External links

Official Site
*

{{Coord missing, Saudi Arabia Science parks in Saudi Arabia Riyadh Province King Saud University