As this year’s media partner, Arab News hosted a panel discussion at the 11th Real Estate Development Summit — Saudi Arabia/ Europe Edition in Barcelona, spotlighting the Kingdom’s heritage, sustainable development, and Vision 2030.
Arab News journalist Lama Alhamawi hosted the panel discussion, titled “Post-modern Architecture — Hijazi & Salmani Architecture,” during the second day of the summit, held at the Hotel Barceló Sants.
Joining the panel as speakers were Dr. Christopher Drew, director of sustainability at Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture; Dipesh Patel, principal at BDP Pattern; and Pallavi Dean, founder and creative director at Roar.
Speakers discussed the traditional architectural styles visible in the Kingdom, including the Hijazi and Salmani architecture, and ways to preserve the cultural integrity of the heritage while also creating modern and livable cities.
“Salmani architecture was created by the crown prince’s father King Salman and its overall intent is to preserve the architecture in the region,” Patel said.
He shared that he is working with ROSHN, the Kingdom’s national real estate developer, to create projects that fall under the Salmani architecture styles.
“Salmani architecture has a series of values such as its authenticity, human-centric livability, innovation, and sustainability,” Patel said. He explained that the initial step is deep research and gathering guidelines for the Salmani code.
“We try to tell a story and narrative based on a sort of memory trace of Salmani and historic buildings but something modern,” Patel explained.
Dean, who has been working in the Gulf region for more than 20 years, highlighted the uniqueness of the Hijazi architectural style and the factors that set it apart.
“In contrast with Najdi, in Hijazi architecture, there are a lot more elements with Persian and Egyptian influences; they are vertical structures that are predominantly in light tones,” she said. “We have to be sensitive and sensible when we are designing communities,” she added.
The panel also discussed some of the giga-projects led by the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 initiatives.
Dean highlighted her experience in AlUla and the many sustainable development initiatives she witnessed there. She raised the question of human intervention and asked the panel members if a natural landscape such as AlUla requires any architectural intrusion.
Drew stressed the need for management but minimal human intervention. “You need to manage human intervention in a way for it to not be noticed,” he said.
Alhamawi said that human intervention is required to preserve historical sites and landscapes and accommodate the growing tourism industry in an organic and minimally intrusive way.
“There are certain areas that require that level of development for architects to come in; for example, the Starbucks outlet in AlUla is natural, it’s made to look like a traditional village and does not look like a Starbucks at all,” she said.
“Another example is the open-air library (Jabal Ikmah) in AlUla; there are ancient carvings there and if you look closely, you will see modern Arabic letters there, so you can see some modern influences.
“This is where development and architecture need to come in, to create that barrier and protect that site; if we leave it untouched it’s not always the best,” Alhamawi said.
Panel members also discussed ways to contribute to one of the main goals of Vision 2030 — developing human capital to compete globally.
Dean, who is working with the Public Investment Fund to develop a training academy in Riyadh, said: “With the PIF, the training academy that we are working on, it is all about unleashing the human capital and potential that is found in Saudi nationals.”
“There is some amazing talent here, like anywhere else in the world; we need to incubate and cultivate that talent,” she said
The session came to a close with questions from audience members regarding sustainable development and the Kingdom’s architectural initiatives.
A research team at the Department of Cyclotron and Radiopharmaceuticals at King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center has succeeded in developing a novel technique of producing large quantities of the highly purified radioactive isotope gallium-68 used in cancer diagnosis. The development is also expected to end the dependence on expensive Gallium-68 generators. In addition, this achievement will contribute to improving the diagnostic and therapeutic quality of cancer patients and will increase the availability of radiopharmaceuticals throughout the Kingdom.
Dr. Ibrahim Al-Jammaz, chairman of the Department of Cyclotron and Radiopharmaceuticals at KFSH&RC, explained that the radioactive gallium isotope was produced locally by means of a novel process using proton irradiation technology via nuclear accelerators for solid targets plated with Zinc 68. He added that the radioactive gallium-68 is used as a raw material for producing radioactive clinical pharmaceuticals (Ga-68 DOTATATE and Ga-68-PSMA), which are used in diagnosing several types of tumors, particularly adenocarcinomas and prostate cancer.
Dr. Al-Jammaz said that the project, carried out under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency, will expand to include the new isotope gallium-68’s techniques including using liquid targets, which could completely replace the gallium generator.
For the past four decades, KFSH&RC has been regarded as the leading Middle Eastern hospital in the production of isotopes and radiopharmaceuticals used in advanced medical applications. The hospital is recognized by the IAEA as a global center for nuclear-medicine production, research and development. Every year, it produces around 30,000 doses of radioactive pharmaceuticals, which are used in diagnosing many diseases and treating malignant tumors. This achievement is in line with the hospital’s ambitious vision to meet the needs of the Kingdom and achieve self-sufficiency in the production of radiopharmaceuticals, which contribute to the provision of reliable and high-quality health care, as well as the financial sustainability of KFSH&RC in privatizing the health sector.
Saudi Arabia’s National Transformation Program has identified innovation powered by research and development as a vital enabler of its long-term socioeconomic goals.
One of Saudi Arabia’s goals, as stated in Vision 2030, is to be among the top 10 countries in the Global Competitiveness Index by 2030, increasing from 24th in 2022.
Two core components of the Global Competitiveness Index are directly related to R&D.
Saudi Arabia can improve these metrics by increasing public-private partnerships in R&D and focusing on an innovative talent pool.
Another objective stated in Vision 2030 is to have at least five Saudi universities among the top 200 universities in international rankings.
Both these objectives can be pursued to realize socioeconomic development.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman launched a new program for the research, development and innovation (RDI) sector.
The program aims to inject an additional SR60 billion ($16 billion) into the nation’s GDP by the year 2040.
Mainly, the priorities for the RDI initiative include a yearly investment equivalent to 2.5 percent of the country’s GDP in 2040, creating job opportunities in science and technology, and ultimately facilitating the Kingdom to become the Arab world’s largest economy.
A strong pillar of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 is technology.
The government is enabling entrepreneurs and seeking investment from private and public companies to develop the sector.
According to the International Data Corporation, Saudi Arabia is expected to spend $33 billion in 2022 on ICT development as the technology sector expanded by 8 percent between 2019 and 2021.
Additionally, government data highlighted that the economic sector of the nation witnessed the highest rate of growth in the first quarter of 2022 in comparison to the last 10 years due to an increase in activity in the oil sector.
A good example to learn from for national development strategies focused on nurturing innovation is China, which focuses on innovation that will have a massive impact on the economy and national competitiveness.
In recent years, substantial public and private sector investment in R&D has seen China establish R&D primacy and global innovation leadership, particularly in the technology domain through technologies like artificial intelligence and 5G.
In AI, China is fast narrowing the substantial lead the West, mainly the US, had on its research.
Chinese researchers now publish more papers on AI and secure more patents than their US counterparts and the country is poised to become a leader in AI-powered enterprises.
China also accounted for nearly one-fifth of global private investment funding in 2021, attracting $17 billion for AI startups, a promising direction that Saudi Arabia is already taking.
Saudi Arabia can similarly use AI to accelerate its digital economy.
The Middle East is projected to accrue 2 percent of the total global benefits of AI in 2030, equivalent to $320 billion, with Saudi Arabia set to have the largest gains during that period with AI contributing over $135.2 billion to its economy, according to a PwC report.
The growing ecosystem in the Kingdom concluded its best year in terms of venture funding and deals in 2021, growing about fourfold and attracting around $548 million in funding, data platform Magnitt said in its annual report for the Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia aims to attract the “very best” national and international talent, and cooperate with and co-invest in major research centers, global and private companies, and nonprofits. Startups would be prioritized.
Saudi Arabia aims to attract a $20 billion investment in data and AI as outlined under the National Strategy for Data and AI. The strategy aims to transform its workforce by training and developing a pool of 20,000 AI and data specialists and experts, with 5,000 of those being highly qualified AI and data scientists.
Such focus on AI will enable Saudi enterprises to remain competitive by improving decision-making processes, solving administrative problems, reducing costs and boosting service delivery.
The other sector China has taken a global lead in is 5G innovation. China is home to the world’s most extensive 5G mobile infrastructure, with 1.43 million 5G base stations installed as of 2021, accounting for over 60 percent of the global total.
As a result, the Chinese mobile ecosystem has become a critical driver of 5G evolution globally.
China is set to extend its 5G leadership to next-generation 6G networks; the country announced a 6G strategy in 2019, even before industry standards or definitions had been established.
It is leading in 6G-related R&D. A report by Nikkei shows that China topped the list with 40.3 percent of 6G patent filings, well ahead of the US with 35.2 percent.
Chinese enterprises have followed suit, with China’s corporate R&D outpacing GDP in 2019-2020.
The corporate R&D/GDP ratio rose to 1.84 percent, from 1.26 percent in 2010, increasing faster than most developed countries.
An excellent example is Huawei, a Chinese yet global company demonstrating the direct link between R&D and innovation.
Huawei’s R&D expenditure reached $22.4 billion in 2021, representing 22.4 percent of total revenue and bringing its total R&D expenditure over the past 10 years to over $132.5 billion.
The company ranked second in the 2021 EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard.
In 2021, Huawei had about 107,000 employees, representing approximately 54.8 percent of the entire workforce, working in R&D.
Today, Huawei maintains one of the largest patent portfolios globally.
By 2021, Huawei held more than 110,000 active patents across over 45,000 families.
In 5G, Huawei was the frontrunner, having invested more than $600 million into 5G technology research between 2009 and 2013.
It was followed by an additional $1.4 billion into 5G product development in 2017 and 2018.
The company has also taken the lead in 6G innovation after an early 2019 start in 6G R&D and announced plans to launch its 6G networks in 2030.
Not only has R&D powered Huawei’s past success, it is also powering its business diversification drive.
From its R&D ventures, Huawei has nurtured new business units such as Huawei Digital Power, which integrates digital and power electronics technologies, developing clean power, enabling energy digitization and carbon neutrality directions to drive energy revolution for a better, greener future.
In this regard, Huawei signed an agreement with Saudi Red Sea New City on an energy storage project.
The energy storage capacity of the project reaches 1300 MWh, which is by far the world’s largest energy storage and off-grid energy storage project.
Also, Huawei’s Rotating Chairman Guo Ping has announced plans to launch a cloud region in Saudi Arabia, noting that the top 10 percent of organizations embracing digitization are growing their revenue as much as five times faster than those not.
Following the Chinese government’s initiative to empower startups, Huawei announced a new support program in the region last year called SPARK.
It is part of the HUAWEI CLOUD Oasis Program launched in September 2021, which plans to invest $15 million over the following three years to accelerate the development of technology enterprises and ecosystems in the Middle East.
The company contributes to developing ICT talent in Saudi Arabia and has successfully implemented the Saudi Talent Enabling Program (STEP), which aims to build the ICT talent ecosystem in the Kingdom.
Such public-private collaborations can enable the country to bridge the gaps between the demand for the future digital workforce and the supply of local talents.
Also, Huawei has recently added a new category to their 2022 global Apps Up content — “Best Arabic App” — to encourage regional developers to create app solutions that address the region’s needs and enrich Arabic content.
Innovation is also key to building resilient economies fortified against global disruptions.
R&D enabled China to circumvent the US-led campaign to isolate Chinese firms from the global technology market. China’s public and private sector enterprises responded to the challenge by pursuing technology self-sufficiency, particularly in semiconductors.
China is traditionally the world’s largest importer of chipsets. However, last year saw Chinese imports of integrated circuits (I.C.s) shrink 9.6 percent in volume in Q1 of 2022 from a year ago, according to Chinese customs data, reversing a 33.6 percent increase in the same period in 2021.
The reduction in import volume mainly comes from China’s forceful push toward technological self-sufficiency.
Saudi Arabia is an ambitious nation that is currently making impressive leaps and bounds toward the future and innovation.
Owing to the positive changes the Kingdom has seen during the year 2020-2021, it has jumped from 83rd to 63rd place, according to the index of the Freest Economies of the Heritage Foundation.
The country has already made impressive progress in forging a knowledge-based economy in the last decade, thanks to ambitious government initiatives.
With a solid foundation of a tech-savvy population, a world-class ICT infrastructure, and the biggest economy in the region, innovation will be the spark that accelerates this objective.
Dubai Summer Surprises, the city-wide summer entertainment and shopping extravaganza, is in full swing for its 25th anniversary edition, which runs until Sept. 4. As always, its immersive indoor family theme park, Modesh World, is open at Dubai World Trade Centre until Aug. 28, featuring a host of new attractions, rides and offerings — perfect for summer family fun.
Modesh World is known for its wide variety of rides, games, inflatables and a bouquet of retail, food and beverage outlets, and the new attractions this year will have little ones jumping for joy, literally. One not to miss is the Winter at Modesh experience — a wintery setting, ideal for keeping cool in summer, with a mini snow park, an inflatable obstacle course and interactive shows.
Be sure to check out iBattle, with its virtual shooting range and simulator, and unique 100 percent connectivity signal technology. The Crazy Cars racing track is back with a new and improved edition, while the new soft-play area and animal-themed fairground rides will please the little ones, with the tower sliding into a pit of 80,000 colored balls providing the ultimate adrenaline rush.
Competitions and giveaways are a key part of DSS, taking place all over the city, and Modesh World has its own prizes up for grabs this year, with tons to be won at the Dubai TV and Government Stage workshops. There are also more than 100 exciting virtual reality and arcade machines, as well as traditional fairground games, where you could win anything from a huge cuddly toy to an iPhone, iPad or Samsung tablet.
More than 30 food and drink outlets are integrated into the Modesh World experience, catering to every taste, from family favorites to local fare. Try street food, light bites and sweet treats, with highlights including the Milky Ice Cream — a favorite from the Poland Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.
At the Modesh Café, a new attraction this year, little ones can enjoy snacks, cakes and drinks themed around Modesh and his friend Dana. And as part of its Modesh Baking Academy, they can even get busy making cookies, rolling and shaping the dough, with slime workshops and other food-related crafts also part of the fun.
No doubt you will want to remember your visit to Modesh World, so be sure to pick up a souvenir, with themed merchandise, clothing and other trinkets. Grab some quirky home ornaments and kitchenware, local handicrafts, and even traditional gowns, abayas and jewelry. After all of that excitement, relax at the Legend Beauty Spa — a new kid-friendly outlet offering face-painting, henna tattoos and hair-braiding.
Visitors can count on Modesh World for live shows, with singing, dancing and colorful characters performing every day until Aug. 28. Highlights include four Modesh World specially choreographed shows — Mangrove Journeys, Modesh World Dance Party, Eat to the Beat! and Helping Friends — which allow children to interact and become part of the storyline, with an educational slant.
Ericsson has announced the appointment of Nicolas Blixell as vice president and head of GCC operations. As part of his role, Blixell will be responsible for the GCC excluding Saudi Arabia, which is a separate market at Ericsson.
Prior to assuming this position, Blixell was the vice president and head of Global Customer Unit for MTN Group at Ericsson Middle East and Africa. In 2020, he was also appointed chairperson of the board of several key countries providing leadership and guidance to Ericsson executives and employees.
Blixell has been with Ericsson for close to 16 years holding various leadership positions in Europe, North America, Asia, and Africa.
Commenting on his new role, he said: “It is an honor to be appointed the vice president and head of GCC. Bringing 16 years of industry and leadership experience to a region of strong momentum, I am excited to elevate the telecommunications sector further and maintain our strong partnerships in the industry. The GCC region has tremendous potential and is open to exploring a multitude of innovations. I am looking forward to ‘Imagining Possible’ and to taking the region to the next level.”
Blixell started his career in the financial industries in Luxembourg and Sweden before crossing over to information and communications technology in 2006.
He has a passion for the industry and, along with the rest of Ericsson’s executive team, is focused on advancing the company’s leadership through innovation, technology, services, and sustainable business solutions.
On the sidelines of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Greece, the Saudi travel, tourism, and hospitality conglomerate, Elaf Group, has signed a partnership contract with Greece's national flag carrier, Aegean Airlines.
The agreement was signed between Elaf Group CEO Dr. Adel Ezzat and Aegean Airlines Chief Commercial Officer Roland Jaggi in Athens on Wednesday, July 27.
The partnership is expected to increase travel, tourism, and cultural exchange between the two friendly nations and bring more European tourists to Saudi Arabia which is home to a wide variety of tourist attractions as well as archeological and historic sites. Increased tourism is part of Saudi Arabia’s National Tourism Strategy which aims to provide a full range of services and benefits for tourists and foster a favorable investment environment for current and future investors.
Flights to Greece will depart from Riyadh and Jeddah in the first phase of the partnership, with other cities joining later.
“What Saudi Arabia and Greece have in common is multiple sites listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, which speaks volumes about the two countries’ longstanding heritage,” said Dr. Ezzat. “By the same token, the two countries have been working toward bolstering relations with much-intensified cooperation in every field, and we expect our agreement with Aegean Airlines to help us accomplish the Saudi Vision 2030 objective of having 100 million visitors to the Kingdom annually by 2030, making the national tourism industry not only one of the Kingdom’s biggest sources of non-petroleum revenue, but also one of the biggest employers, both of which are also targets of the country’s ambitious long-term plan.”
Dr. Ezzat said: “Elaf Group is a leader in the Kingdom’s tourism and hospitality industries, and the deal with Aegean is part of the group’s strategy of expanding throughout these industries.”
As Greece’s national carrier, Aegean Airlines has a strong presence in high-end global destinations such as London, Paris, Madrid, Rome, and Munich, among others. Building on the strength of its extensive and strategic network, the two sides will jointly promote significant tourist attractions in both Saudi Arabia and Greece.
A colorful culture and storied history are also among other common treasures of Saudi Arabia and Greece. They are cooperating on initiatives to boost travel to each other’s popular destinations and foster more and stronger interaction between the two nations with broader, richer facilities. Elaf and Aegean will also work on programs that help shore up the tourist industry and coordinate efforts for participation in international events related to the tourism industry.