Official government website of the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
Congratulations to His Excellency Professor Dr. Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al-Dawood, President of the University, on the university's recognition for achieving first place in the education and training sector for the second year in a row, and for reaching the «Innovation» stage in the Government Digital Transformation measurement for 2023. This was during the Digital Government Forum, in the presence of His Excellency the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, His Excellency the Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing, and His Excellency the Minister of Health, today, Wednesday, December 20, in Riyadh. This new achievement comes as part of the university's endeavor to keep pace with the strategic directions of the digital government.
The Digital Government Authority announced during the forum the results of the Digital Transformation Index 2023, for more than 200 government entities from various sectors. This index evaluates and diagnoses the status of entities and monitors their digital transformation journey through several key indicators. These included criteria derived from Royal Orders, Council of Ministers resolutions, and circulars, comprising 52 criteria, and digital transformation criteria, encompassing 73 criteria. These measured the extent of government entities« commitment to applying and implementing these standards. The results of these index measurements were categorized into 5 stages: (Innovation, Integration, Improvement, Availability, and Establishment). Al-Qassim University's results placed it in the highest stage, »Innovation," among the top government entities, ranking first in the education and training sector with a measurement score of (90.59%).
The university also obtained the national institutional architecture (NORA) accreditation certificate for distinguished government entities from the Digital Government Authority. The university president received it during the forum from His Excellency the Governor of the Authority, in recognition of the university's excellence in applying institutional architecture standards that contribute to accelerating the digital transformation process.
The university was recognized among the top-performing government entities in website efficiency and digital content for 2023. It was honored by His Excellency Eng. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Suwayan, Governor of the Digital Government Authority, during the forum. The award was received by His Excellency Dean of the Deanship of Information Technology, Dr. Saleh Al-Bahli, in Riyadh.
During the forum, His Excellency the President of the University witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the University and the Digital Government Authority. The memorandum was signed by His Excellency Dr. Mohammed Al-Saoui, Vice President of the University, and His Excellency Dr. Abdullah Al-Fifi, Vice Governor of the Authority for Investment and Government Excellence. The signing aims to enhance joint cooperation in the field of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) through the implementation of specialized training programs and the development of specialized academic programs.
The agreement stipulates areas of cooperation between the parties, which include incorporating open-source software into university curricula, forming joint research groups to produce valuable scientific research and products, as well as fostering talent in the field of open-source software, supporting graduation project ideas and leveraging them in the job market, in addition to supporting open-source software clubs and spreading their culture within the university, as well as cooperative training in the open-source software industry, and providing training opportunities within governmental and private institutions and organizations.
