RIYADH: The King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) is dedicated to creating a research environment conducive to supporting the initiatives of the National Transformation Program 2020, emanating from Vision 2030, its president, Prince Turki Al-Saud announced here Wednesday.
The prince was speaking at the inauguration of the “Horizon 2020 Media Day,” which was jointly observed by KACST and the European Union in Riyadh on Wednesday.
Horizon 2020 is the biggest EU research and innovation program ever with nearly 80 billion euros in funding available over seven years (2014 to 2020). It promises more breakthroughs, discoveries and world firsts by taking great ideas from the lab to the market.
The president said Horizon 2020 is the financial instrument implementing the Innovation Union, a Europe 2020 flagship initiative aimed at securing Europe’s global competitiveness. He said KACST will cooperate with Horizon 2020 to develop some of its research activities.
In his opening remarks, A. Konstantopoulos, chargé d’affaires of the Riyadh office of the European Union, explained that Horizon 2020 is an important step for the continuation and strengthening of the ongoing cooperation between the EU and the Kingdom in the field of research and innovation.
"Europe has a solid background and experience in research and innovation; we need, and can offer and share more with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries.”
Horizon 2020, Konstantopoulos said, can offer European and GCC countries’ scientists, researchers and innovators many opportunities to work together.
Seen as a means to drive economic growth and create jobs, Horizon 2020 has the political backing of Europe’s leaders and the members of the European Parliament. They agreed that research is an investment for the future, and so it is at the heart of the EU’s blueprint for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and jobs.
By coupling research and innovation, Horizon 2020 is helping to achieve this with its emphasis on science, industrial leadership and tackling societal challenges. The goal is to ensure Europe produces world-class science, removes barriers to innovation, and makes it easier for the public and private sectors to work together in delivering innovation.
Horizon 2020 is open to everyone, with a simple structure that reduces red tape and time so participants can focus on what is really important. This approach makes sure new projects get off the ground quickly — and achieve results faster.
The EU Framework Program for Research and Innovation will be complemented by further measures to complete and further develop the European research area. These measures will aim at breaking down barriers to create a genuine single market for knowledge, research and innovation.
Carlos Moedas, EU commissioner for research, science and innovation, said: “Every day we fund the top scientists and researchers, and the most innovative businesses, and we have the ambition of creating a European innovation council, which can replicate for entrepreneurs what the European Research Council has brought to European scientists.”
Horizon 2020 is built around three pillars: First to support for “excellence in Science” — including grants for individual researchers from the European Research Council, and Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowships (formerly known as Marie Curie fellowships); secondly to support for “Industrial Leadership” — including grants for small- and medium-sized enterprises, and indirect finance for companies through the European Investment Bank, and other financial intermediaries; and finally to support research to tackle “societal challenges.”
KACST to work with Europe in research and innovation
KACST to work with Europe in research and innovation
