The conference \"Towards Effective Scientific Research in Building the Knowledge Economy,\" organized by the university, concluded its work that spanned Wednesday and Thursday, corresponding to March 20-21, 1440 AH, at the university city campus in Al-Maledah. During the conference sessions, 13 specialists from various universities and research centers inside and outside the Kingdom presented their research papers. They presented many of the ideas contained in their research and studies, discussed their results, and how to develop scientific research in the Kingdom and benefit from its outcomes in building a knowledge-based economy.
The conference sessions witnessed scientific discussions and dialogues between specialists, interested parties, and attendees to identify the best ways to connect researchers and scientists on the one hand, and officials and project owners on the other. It also addressed many ideas and proposals that may contribute to the development and progress of the Kingdom and the achievement of its Vision 2030. The sessions were as follows:<\/p>
The first session, chaired by Dr. Mohamed Al-Saouy, Vice President of the University, began with his welcoming remarks to the conference participants, praying for its success, guidance, and good fortune. He emphasized that the 20th century was called the century of industry, while the 21st century is undoubtedly the century of knowledge, as its characteristics are built on knowledge. This means that societies are built upon it. In the past, land, labor, and capital were the foundation of the economy, but now a new factor has emerged: knowledge, based on human resources and the development of the human element, which is based on creativity and intelligence.<\/p>
During the session, the General Supervisor of the Research and Development Office at the Ministry of Education, Dr. Hisham bin Abdulaziz Al-Hadlaq, spoke about his scientific paper titled \"Research and Development Program at the Ministry of Education and the Leading Role of Universities.\" He emphasized that the Ministry of Education has adopted an ambitious program aimed at supporting scientific research and development in universities. The session also addressed the mission and objectives of the Research and Development Program and stressed the coordination and integration between the government and private sectors and universities in the research and development ecosystem to achieve the Kingdom's Vision 2030. Challenges facing the research and development sector were reviewed, and success factors were highlighted through competition, adoption of priority national trends, performance management, and R&D funding to ensure success and sustainability of work.<\/p>
Dr. Nasser bin Mohammed Al-Aqili, Vice President of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research, presented his paper titled \"University Research and Innovation and the Requirements for Creating a Knowledge-Based Economy in the Kingdom.\" He pointed out that research and innovation are an urgent necessity for economic transformation and one of the most important pathways leading to economic transformations. He also stated that it is one of the key factors in achieving the Kingdom's vision. When looking at the economy based on traditional natural resources, it is observed that it typically relies on low-wage and low-skilled labor, and innovation zones appear isolated from industry and business. Furthermore, effective communication between innovation zones is lacking. To achieve a prosperous economy with sustainable growth, initiatives based on academic-industrial cooperation must be undertaken to create a knowledge environment based on innovation and creativity, multiplying the gross domestic product and reducing reliance on natural resources.<\/p>
Al-Aqili pointed out that generating knowledge-based jobs and providing adventurous entrepreneurial leadership would achieve a prosperous economy with sustainable growth. This is where the role of building an integrated national system for research and innovation comes in, which would contribute to transforming ideas into economic value and rescuing universities from the dilemma of research backlog and their inability to justify spending on these studies without linking them to the needs, requirements, and expectations of societies.<\/p>
Dr. Ahmed bin Salem Al-Ameri, Vice President of King Saud University for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research, spoke about \"The Role of Research and Development in Building and Strengthening the Knowledge Economy.\" During his discussion, he presented the concept and indicators of the knowledge economy. He also addressed the mechanisms for marketing research to build the knowledge economy, in addition to mentioning examples of high-impact innovations in building the knowledge economy. He highlighted the role of universities in building the knowledge economy and the importance of partnership between universities and industry in research and development and technology transfer. The research also reviewed international experiences in adopting research, development, and innovation to build the knowledge economy, such as the Malaysian experience towards an R&D and innovation-driven knowledge economy, and the experience of MIT University and its contribution to building the American knowledge economy. The research also touched upon the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's position on the global map, the opportunities available to the Kingdom, strategic directions, as well as obstacles and challenges. <\/p>
Several research papers were discussed in the second session, chaired by Dr. Ibrahim bin Saleh Al-Omran. Dr. Alam Al-Noor Othman, President of the World Organization for Sustainable Development in Britain, presented a paper titled \"Activating Scientific Research to Serve the Sustainable Knowledge Economy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.\" He emphasized the necessity of strengthening the role of science, innovation, and research to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The presentation addressed the prominent and future role of higher education institutions in the Kingdom and how to develop their research to achieve the Kingdom's Vision 2030 and realize knowledge-based sustainable development. He added that the management of science, innovation, and research, and the enhancement of human capabilities to increase human and social capital, are success factors that have become paramount in the competition between nations. He further stated that successful management of science, innovation, and research requires adopting new methods and methodologies to keep pace with the challenges and opportunities of the new digital revolution and the knowledge-based sustainable economy.<\/p>
Dr. Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Abbas, a member of the Shura Council, presented his paper entitled \"Literature on the knowledge economy in the Kingdom towards building a research path\", during which he defined the knowledge economy as products and services based on knowledge-enhanced activities that contribute to accelerating scientific and technical development, in addition to accelerated progress, as enthusiasts of the knowledge economy are quick to spread its concepts, while opponents of the concept assert that there is no such thing as a knowledge economy and that all we witness is just an active market to sell technology and information as a commodity like others, and a number of studies sought to prove the existence of the knowledge economy through discussing evidence and righteousness. Tracking the increase in science-based industries and their role in bringing about economic and social change, the existence of specific knowledge and knowledge-enhancing industries, and the third path focuses on the managerial dimension by focusing on continuous education and innovation in organizations. <\/p>
At the conclusion of the second session, Dr. Munif Rafeh Al-Zo\u2019bi, Director General of the Academy of Sciences in Jordan, spoke about his paper titled \"Development and Entrepreneurship Through Science, Technology, and Innovation in Arab Countries: Future Prospects.\" He stated that it highlights the urgent need, now more than ever, to focus on the science, technology, and innovation sector in Arab countries as a strategic sector playing a pivotal role in achieving development policies, building a strong economy, driving innovation and technological advancement, enhancing the competitiveness of Arab economic sectors, creating employment opportunities for university graduates, and ensuring the integration of Arab economies into regional and global spheres.<\/p>
As the paper briefly discussed, a critical treatment of the Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) ecosystem in Arab countries, in terms of policies, institutions, and legislation, and then presents some recommendations that enable the decision-maker to launch appropriate initiatives to upgrade STI ecosystems for economic and social development and entrepreneurship in Arab countries.<\/p>
The third session was chaired by Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Dughaither, Director of the Knowledge Cooperation and Exchange Center at Qassim University. Dr. Yousef bin Abdulaziz Al-Turki, Vice President of King Abdulaziz University for Postgraduate Studies and Scientific Research, participated in the session titled \"Directing Scientific Research and Building Capabilities Towards the Knowledge Economy.\" He stated that the knowledge economy is one of the most prominent concepts that has begun to gain widespread popularity in the third millennium. The knowledge economy often accounts for a large share of the economic activities of economically developed countries. However, the distinctive characteristic of this new economy is the central position that knowledge and information hold in wealth creation and economic production.<\/p>
This research also addressed a case study of scientific research at King Abdulaziz University during the last five years, monitoring its conformity with the specifications of the knowledge economy, represented by peer-reviewed scientific publishing and patents. It also assessed the extent of the university's scientific research capability to compete in the knowledge economy and compete with scientific research in developed countries or their rising counterparts.<\/p>
At the conclusion of the third session, Dr. Imad El-Din Ahmed Al-Masbah, Professor of Economics at Qassim University, spoke about \"The Role of Human Capital and Total Factor Productivity in Promoting Economic Growth: A Comparative International Study.\" This study aimed to test the existence of a positive relationship from human capital and total factor productivity to economic growth in a group of countries and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The study used the ARDL method on data for the period 1950-2014. The results revealed varying impacts of human capital; in developed countries generally, there was no significant effect, unlike in emerging countries. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, there was no relationship between human capital and economic growth. It also showed that total productivity did not have an effect in all countries except Egypt. The study recommends the continued accumulation of human capital and the direct integration of educational outputs into the production process.<\/p>
On the second and final day, the fourth session began, chaired by Dr. Nasser bin Mohammed Al-Oqeili, Vice President of King Fahd University for Postgraduate Studies and Scientific Research. Dr. Mahmoud bin Mohammed Saqr, President of the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology in Egypt, spoke about \"Egypt's Vision 2030 and the Knowledge-Based Economy Methodology with a Case Study.\" He stated that Egypt, through its Vision 2030, is moving towards a knowledge economy with positive efforts and steps accompanied by implementation plans at various levels to achieve the state's strategic goals in the fields of knowledge, innovation, and scientific research. This is being done by creating an encouraging and supportive environment for science, technology, and innovation, promoting the application of scientific research outcomes, and deepening local manufacturing. The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, represented by the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology, has embarked on implementing plans to address several challenges related to enabling knowledge and innovation.<\/p>
Sakr added that the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology seeks to support Egyptian human resources, as they are the basis of comprehensive development based on knowledge economy, by developing the system of education, scientific research, and innovation. In light of these goals, the Academy offers a package of programs and activities aimed at supporting innovation and entrepreneurship to achieve knowledge-based and innovation-driven economic growth. It is necessary to monitor and understand the changing reality and challenges. The experience of establishing the Egyptian Observatory for Science, Technology, and Innovation was an important step to diagnose the current situation. This presentation also mentioned successful examples, models, and experiences in establishing the knowledge-based economy in the Arab Republic of Egypt.<\/p>
The session included a presentation of a research paper by Dr. Mohammed bin Riffdan Al-Hajhouj, Director of the Research Excellence Center for Date Palms and Dates at King Faisal University, titled \"The Role of the Research Excellence Center for Date Palms and Dates in Developing Products from Date Palms and Their Derivatives to Contribute to the Knowledge Economy.\" He explained that according to 2017 economics, oil represents about 80%% of the Gross Domestic Product of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Since an economy based on a single source may face problems in the long run and is considered unsustainable, the Kingdom has moved to find other alternatives to diversify the economy, including the knowledge-based economy. He pointed out that universities and research centers play an important role in contributing to the knowledge economy. Saudi Vision 2030 encourages universities and research centers to play a vital role in producing knowledge and converting it into products that contribute to the Kingdom's transition to the knowledge economy, thereby achieving economic growth without relying on oil sources.<\/p>
Al-Hajuj explained that the Research Center of Excellence for Palm Trees and Dates at King Faisal University has sought to increase the utilization of palm trees and dates and create added value for them. Through this, the center has obtained many tangible and intangible products in recent years, including: 21 products in various fields, such as pharmaceutical and medical fields, like an antibiotic from dates, and a medical disinfectant gel from bio-ethanol derived from the biomass of palm trees, in addition to date extracts for the prevention of liver cancer, and date extracts for the treatment of myocardial infarction. Also, food products from dates such as carbonated beverages, baker's yeast, and bio-fortified yogurt, and also in the field of controlling palm pests, such as repellents for the red palm weevil, smart traps, and other light traps for controlling various insects, and products for water conservation. <\/p>
Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Dughaieri, Director of the International Cooperation and Knowledge Exchange Center at the university, spoke about \"The Promising Research Center's Experience in Biocontrol and Agricultural Information at Qassim University in the Knowledge Economy.\" He emphasized that the Promising Research Center at the university, since its establishment in 1432 AH, has been keen to direct research projects through its research groups towards studies that result in knowledge-based products that significantly contribute to sustainable agricultural development and environmental preservation in the Qassim region and other regions of the Kingdom. Researchers at the center have developed a number of promising products in biocontrol of agricultural pests using safe and environmentally friendly methods that largely replace the use of chemical pesticides harmful to the environment and public health.<\/p>
He pointed out that these bioproducts were obtained from the local environment and proved their effectiveness on the laboratory and field scale and completed the stages of experimentation. In addition, the center was interested in finding alternatives to mineral fertilization that have a prominent role in reducing dependence on the addition of mineral fertilizers, the excess of which leads to environmental pollution and the accumulation of some elements in the plant at levels that harm public health. These promising products need to complete their development and testing efforts on a larger scale and reach the final investment and marketing stage, noting that The promising products obtained by the center include bacterial biopesticides, fungal biopesticide, insect predator Abu Al-Eid, acarous predator (1 and 2), developed liquid compost and biofertilizers, and the center is still trying to find partners to develop and market its products to benefit the agricultural community in the region and other regions of the Kingdom from these products, and to find a self-sustaining income from the sale of these products to ensure continued work on creative research that contributes to the knowledge economy of the Kingdom and conduct quality partnerships with international universities, institutes and specialized research centers.<\/p>
The final session of the conference was chaired by Dr. Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Sharida, Professor of Sociology at Qassim University. During the session, Dr. Hussein Muhammad Amer Al-Abid, Associate Professor of Economics at King Khalid University, presented his paper titled \"A Comparison of Technology Cluster Models for Enhancing the Knowledge-Based Economy in the European Reblac Region and Silicon Valley, America.\" His paper explained that since the end of the last century, a systematic industrial and commercial correlation has emerged to support the knowledge-based economy through three axes: research, manufacturing, and export. This phenomenon is observed in two geographically distant regions: Silicon Valley in California, USA, and the \"Reblac\" European region, which comprises four regions across four European countries. These regions are nominally linked through global marketing, considering themselves as four engines for Europe: the Rhine region in Germany, Alsace in France, Lombardy in Italy, and Catalonia in Spain.<\/p>
These two regions have played a pivotal role in strengthening the knowledge economy globally. The American model, Silicon Valley in San Francisco Bay, has emerged over the past four decades, leading digital, technology, and information industries through a system of prominent companies like Apple, Cisco, Microsoft, Google, Oracle, and others, which have created added value for both national economies and institutions. Meanwhile, the \"Republique\" region has fostered an exchange between industrial zones, research centers, and export channels to drive the knowledge-based economy to advanced competitive levels. It was emphasized that this scientific material was prepared for this topic to provide an analytical comparison of the most prominent features of these two models and how to benefit from them to support knowledge-based economies in developing countries and organizations, while highlighting South Korea's experience in adopting the American model and Turkey's experience in adopting the European model.<\/p>
Following that, Dr. Othman bin Zakaria Barnawi, Director of Yanbu Technical Institute at the Royal Commission's colleges and institutes sector, spoke about \"The Role of Higher Education Institutions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Age of the Knowledge Economy Between Authenticity and Tradition,\" stating: In our current era, which is witnessing a significant shift towards the knowledge-based economy, higher education institutions play a pivotal role in producing and disseminating knowledge, and in building scientific research competencies to achieve national development, in addition to laying the necessary foundations for economic prosperity and social integration. However, what do we specifically know about the role played by Saudi higher education institutions in this era characterized by the knowledge-based economy? What roles do Saudi higher education institutions play in nation-building, and what about global expectations regarding the new liberal movement in our current era? How do higher education institutions view research and development efforts today, how do they celebrate them, and indeed, how do they legitimize them?.<\/p>
At the end of the session, Dr. Allam Al Nour Othman, President of the World Organization for Sustainable Development in Britain, presented \"Challenges and Opportunities for Saudi Universities to Activate the Knowledge Economy in Accordance with the Kingdom's Vision 2030.\" During the presentation, he discussed the important role of higher education institutions in helping Arab countries maximize the benefits of the knowledge-based economy. The presentation raises some questions, including: What is the role of Saudi educational institutions in promoting economic and social development in the Kingdom? What are the main obstacles facing higher education institutions in the Kingdom and some other Arab countries? Are there governmental components in this process? What is the societal role in this process? How can these challenges and obstacles be addressed and overcome? The presentation affirmed that Saudi universities must face the current reality and work to keep pace with complex and rapid contemporary changes, and that Saudi and Arab universities must embrace the youth segment of their societies and graduate cadres capable of taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the knowledge-based economy.<\/p><\/p>
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اختتم مؤتمر “نحو بحث علمي فاعل في بناء الاقتصاد المعرفي”، الذي نظمته الجامعة أعماله التي استمرت على مدى يومي الأربعاء والخميس الموافقين 20-21\/3\/1440هـ، بمقر المدينة الجامعية بالمليداء، حيث عرض 13 متخصصاً منجامعات ومراكز بحثية متعددة من داخل المملكة وخارجها، أوراقهم البحثية خلالجلسات المؤتمر، وطرحوا فيها العديد من الأفكار التي تتضمنها أبحاثهم ودراساتهم ومناقشة نتائجها، وكيفية […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14714,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[447],"topofweek-line":[],"sdgs":[116,103,104,108,109],"post-setting":[],"departments-list":[],"class_list":["post-14713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-null","sdgs-sdg16","sdgs-sdg3","sdgs-sdg4","sdgs-sdg8","sdgs-sdg9"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.qu.edu.sa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14713","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.qu.edu.sa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.qu.edu.sa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qu.edu.sa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qu.edu.sa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14713"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.qu.edu.sa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14713\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qu.edu.sa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.qu.edu.sa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qu.edu.sa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qu.edu.sa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14713"},{"taxonomy":"topofweek-line","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qu.edu.sa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topofweek-line?post=14713"},{"taxonomy":"sdgs","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qu.edu.sa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sdgs?post=14713"},{"taxonomy":"post-setting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qu.edu.sa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-setting?post=14713"},{"taxonomy":"departments-list","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qu.edu.sa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/departments-list?post=14713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}