OREANDA-NEWS. March 20, 2014. A delegation from Saudi Aramco’s Young Leaders Advisory Board (YLAB) recently paid a visit to the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), where an array of high-end research projects were showcased.

As the home of the National Science Agency and the National R&D Laboratories, the Riyadh-based KACST is the country’s hub of applied research in 15 different disciplines, many of which are areas of focus for Saudi Aramco’s own scientists.

YLAB was invited to tour the facilities by KACST president HE Dr. Mohammed Bin Ibrahim Al-Suwaiyel. As a member of Saudi Aramco’s Board of Directors, Al-Suwaiyel was aware of the work in which YLAB is engaged. His first opportunity to meet some of the current and alumni members of YLAB came in December when they were asked to participate in a special session of the Board of Directors.

 “At KACST, we exist to support and promote applied research, which produces technological innovations that contribute to the development of the Kingdom. That is the same goal driving the research being conducted by Saudi Aramco. There are excellent opportunities for collaboration and knowledge sharing between our two great organizations.”, Al-Suwaiyel said.

The YLAB members were treated to presentations covering topics as varied as international petrochemical research projects, research and manufacturing of drones for scientific purposes, water desalination using solar energy, genetic sequencing of local flora and fauna, the Sanam super computer and even a project that resulted in launching satellites into orbit.

KACST is aligned with Saudi Aramco’s goal of fostering the development of a knowledge economy in the Kingdom, which, as defined by KACST, is where research and development (R&D), innovation, technology transfer and localization significantly contribute to the national economy.

According to Thomson Reuters, Saudi Arabia had a three-fold increase in its research output in the period between 2000 and 2011, as well as a 33.1 percent increase since 2011. In 2013, Nature Publishing Index called Saudi Arabia one of the “five countries to watch.”

The solutions and products that result from the research being conducted at KACST and Saudi Aramco should add or contribute to new industries that provide new skilled employment opportunities for the country’s growing labor force. This, in turn, will create a more balanced economy that generates significant value from the ideas of its people just as it does from its wealth of natural resources.