Jordan, Saudi Arabia Strengthen Scientific, Technological Partnership

Amman, May 11 — The Secretary-General of the Higher Council for Science and Technology (HCST), Mashour Al-Rifai, met with the Saudi Ambassador to Jordan, Prince Mansour bin Khalid Al Saud, to discuss enhanced cooperation in science and technology and the expansion of bilateral research partnerships. The talks focused on joint research, researcher exchanges, capacity building, technology transfer and closer links between scientific research and economic and social development.

"Such cooperation aims to enhance knowledge exchange, develop human capital, and promote a stronger culture of innovation in both countries," Al-Rifai said, outlining the objectives behind deepening ties between Jordanian and Saudi scientific and research organisations.

Al-Rifai characterised the relationship between Jordan and Saudi Arabia as "strong and growing" and reaffirmed the HCST's commitment to expanding collaboration with Saudi partners. He highlighted a series of potential collaboration areas intended to "create sustainable partnerships that maximize the impact of research and innovation," including joint research projects in priority fields, exchange of researchers and experts, capacity building programmes, technology transfer, and linking scientific research with economic and social development.

Saudi interest and practical cooperation

Prince Mansour bin Khalid Al Saud praised the role of His Royal Highness Prince Hassan bin Talal in advancing science in the region and commended the reputation of the HCST in scientific circles. The ambassador expressed Saudi Arabia's interest in strengthening "practical cooperation with institutions that share similar objectives, particularly in connecting universities, research centres, and industry."

He emphasised that Saudi Arabia is "keen to develop effective partnerships focused on joint research projects, exchange of expertise, technology transfer, and the development of innovation hubs," and underlined the need for long-term communication channels between academia and industry to support shared development goals.

Areas for collaboration and upcoming convening

Mohammad Al-Widyan, Director of the National Center for Research and Development (NCRD), pointed to a forthcoming Red Sea environmental space conference organised by the HCST next year as a concrete opportunity to translate high-level cooperation into tangible scientific projects. "The upcoming Red Sea environmental space conference...will serve as a platform to turn cooperation into practical scientific projects," Al-Widyan said.

• Priority research fields identified include marine sciences, climate studies, geology and coastal environments.
• Cross-cutting topics noted were supply chains, maritime security, sustainable forestry, water harvesting and community involvement in environmental sustainability.
• Mechanisms proposed: researcher exchanges, capacity-building programmes, technology transfer and innovation hubs linking academia with industry.

Outlook

Officials framed the Amman meeting as the start of a structured push to convert diplomatic goodwill into collaborative research initiatives and innovation ecosystems that span academia, research centres and the private sector. With the HCST hosting a Red Sea environmental conference next year and both sides signalling priority alignment, stakeholders in Jordan and Saudi Arabia now have a concrete forum to develop joint projects addressing marine, climate and coastal challenges as well as broader technology-transfer and human-capacity goals.