Riyadh, March 23, 2025 – The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hosted the meeting of the Executive Committee and International Steering Committee of the Global Research Council (GRC) at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST).
At the start of the meeting, Dr. Munir bin Mahmoud Al-Desouki, Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors of the GRC and a member of the Board of Governors for the MENA region, welcomed the Acting Secretary-General of the Council and the attendees, both in person and virtually, from around the world.
The participants reviewed the scientific program and the Kingdom’s preparations for hosting the 13th annual GRC meeting, which will be held in Riyadh from May 18 to 22, 2025. This will be the first time the meeting takes place in the MENA region since the council’s inception. The event will be organized by the Research, Development, and Innovation Authority (RDIA) and KACST, in collaboration with the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK). The discussions will focus on two major topics: “Research Management in the Era of Artificial Intelligence” and “Working Together in Co-Creation to Address Global Challenges.”
The participants also reviewed the council’s future directions, reports from various working groups, and strategies to implement the council’s core principles into actionable plans for policy formulation by research councils.
Additionally, reports from the five GRC member regions—Europe, Asia, the Pacific, Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and the MENA region—were discussed, as well as the council’s involvement in strategic research funding planning. The agenda for the Governing Board was also reviewed, including a proposal to host its meeting at one of the member councils.
Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the GRC meeting reaffirms its leading position in the global scientific community and highlights the efforts of its scientific institutions in supporting research and innovation at both regional and international levels. The event underscores the Kingdom’s continued commitment to strengthening cooperation among research councils in the MENA region, enhancing its global presence, and contributing to the advancement of knowledge and innovation. These efforts align with the Kingdom’s unprecedented support for R&D and innovation, led by its leadership.
This hosting demonstrates Saudi Arabia’s commitment to fostering collaborative initiatives and achieving global strategic goals in research and innovation.