The Ministry of Education’s efforts to support the research and innovation system in universities and research institutions have resulted in the Kingdom’s ranking progress in institutional research performance indicators at the global, regional and Arab levels. The Kingdom ranked first in the Arab world and 14 globally in publishing distinguished research and providing solutions to the Corona pandemic, while its share reaches 65 % of the scientific research share in the Arab world.
The Kingdom ranked 29 globally among the countries with the most achievements in scientific research at the international level, and second in the Middle East and Africa in the quality of published research, according to the Nature Index for Classification of International Academic Institutions for the year 2020, one of the most important global indicators of institutional research performance.
The scientific publishing of Saudi universities in international publications and refereed journals increased during 2020 by 120%, as the number of refereed scientific research published by government universities increased to 33,588 research, while the target was 18,000 research last year.
In recent years, the Ministry of Education represented by the Agency for Research and Innovation has made great efforts in supporting scientific research and innovation in public universities to keep pace with the changes of the era, improve learning outcomes, and support the national economy.
The ministry has developed a strategy for scientific research and a special research identity for each university, to raise the quality of scientific publication and maximize its impact, in line with national and regional needs in accordance with the objectives of the Kingdom's Vision 2030.
The Ministry of Education launched several initiatives to support research and innovation in universities, including the institutional funding initiative to support scientific research that serves the Kingdom's national priorities and the needs of the industrial sector. The ministry also contributed to defining national priorities in scientific research and innovations, by holding a large number of scientific events in cooperation with major national authorities and industrial sectors, resulted in 12 national priorities.