Saudi Arabia begins construction of region's first vaccine and biomanufacturing center

JEDDAH: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) on Saturday launched the Saudi Center for Manufacturing and Developing Medical Vaccine Proteins.
The project, the first of its kind in the Middle East, will be established in partnership with Research Products Development Co. and SaudiVax. The center will manufacture vaccines, which will be the first line of defense against epidemics in the Kingdom, such as coronavirus.
The new establishment will be located at KAUST research complex and is set to host several leading local and international research and development firms.

The ceremony was under the patronage of HE Eng. Khalid Al-Falih, Saudi Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources and KAUST Board Chairman, and in the presence of KAUST’s strategic partners, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), The Industrial Clusters (IC), Research Products Development Company (RPDC), and SaudiVax Ltd.

The Saudi Vaccine and Biomanufacturing Center is the first research and industrial center in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East to develop vaccines and biopharmaceutical products. It will run in adherence to good manufacturing practice (GMP) for biologic pharmaceutical drugs production and will develop and produce the first line of defense against epidemic risks in the Kingdom, such as the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV).

The center is based at the KAUST Research and Technology Park, which is home to world leading tenants in the fields of research and development. Their choice of KAUST embodies the University’s long-term commitment to pushing the industry forward.

“The KAUST Research and Technology Park is an innovation base for 28 companies – from startups to multinationals – and offers partners access to KAUST’s cutting edge lab facilities and the opportunity to collaborate with our world-class faculty, researchers and students,” said Tony Chan, president of KAUST.