Minister of Investment: DBV Will Be Player in National Health and Biotechnology
Riyadh, Rabi I 22, 1443 - Oct. 28, 2021, SPA-- HE Eng. Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih, Minister of Investment, affirmed that Dammam Biotech Valley (DBV) is going to be a significant player in the ambitious national ecosystem for health and biotechnology.
This came in his speech on the inauguration of DBV, owned by Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University (IAU), on the sidelines of the 5th Anniversary Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference in the presence of Dr. Abdullah bin Muhammad Al-Rubaish, the University President and DBV Chairman, and Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Olayan, DBV CEO.
Al-Falih expressed his pride of this achievement and leap, pointing out that COVID-19 pandemic underscored the critical importance of biotechnology, and the need to list this sector among national and global priorities; there is an urgent need to develop and enable the research and innovation of health and biotechnology across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, he also stressed.
"As the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia continues implementing its comprehensive and wide-ranging strategy for health and biotechnology, the key priorities of the biomedical science sector include, but not limited to, clinical research, personalized and value-based health care and biological therapeutics, including cell and gene therapy,” said Al-Falih, touching on the great efforts exerted to develop the national biotechnology strategy, and to establish the main Biotechnology Center in Riyadh under the leadership of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC).
For his part, Dr. Al-Rubaish said that the launch of DBV is consistent with the Kingdom Vision 2030 and the Government’s directions to actively serve the Kingdom’s keenness on knowledge economy, which is concerned with transforming knowledge and innovations into economic value, stating that DBV seeks to be a hub for innovation of biotechnology and health in the Middle East.
“The project has many ingredients for success, including its distinguished legacy of IAU – home of science and scientists – and the Biotechnology Center that contributes with human capacities and expertise, as well as strong infrastructure of colleges, educational hospitals, research centers and laboratories, leading DBV to be a hub for expertise and contributions since its inception,” he added.
“DBV and the IAU are seeking to enable the project to achieve its goals of attracting innovators, scientists and investors in the fields of health and biotechnology under the able guidance of the Leadership,” said Al-Olayan
