DHAHRAN — Mohammed Y. Al-Qahtani, Saudi Aramco Senior Vice President for Upstream and Chairman of the Dhahran Techno Valley Company (DTVC) Advisory Committee, attended the annual Dhahran Techno Valley (DTV) event on Sept. 10, where he delivered a keynote speech titled: “Taking Dhahran Techno Valley to the Next Level.”

Dhahran Techno Valley is an integrated ecosystem of leading national and international research and development centers that aim to drive Saudi Arabia’s transition to a knowledge-based economy through:

• Supporting technology transfer for developing localized and custom-fit solutions to meet the energy industry's current and future needs, in the Kingdom, regionally and globally.

• Creating new knowledge-based and innovation-driven businesses undertaking strategic and applied research leading to effective technology commercialization.

• Accelerating the growth of an entrepreneurship base in the Kingdom, and more importantly strengthening the talent technical bench of Saudi young professionals through creating quality knowledge based jobs.

Saudi Aramco is a strategic partner and champion of DTV since its inception and has been working closely, strategically and on various multidimensional levels with King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), which is the host of this thriving ecosystem, and all the national and international partners operating in DTV. Their objective is to establish effective alignment and synergies which contribute effectively and tangibly in the achievement of the vision and strategic objectives of DTV through collaborative research, technology development and rapid commercialization of technologies to stimulate innovation, create jobs, and drive growth in new technology based innovative sectors.

The event was attended by members of Saudi Aramco executive management, KFUPM officials, and numerous executives and professionals from national and global companies.

“We are proud of the strategic relationship among all the companies operating in the Dhahran Techno Valley Science Park, where Saudi Aramco plays a significant role in strengthening relationships that contribute to the development and diversification of the Saudi economy in full alignment with Saudi Vision 2030,” Sr. VP Al-Qahtani said. “Dhahran Techno Valley enhances our local research capabilities while addressing Saudi Aramco’s long-term technology needs, promoting better access to qualified human capital, efficient infrastructure and services for cutting-edge R&D, in addition to fostering an innovation culture in the Kingdom.”

In his speech, Dr. Sahel N. Abduljauwad, acting rector of KFUPM and chairman of the Board of Directors of the Dhahran Techno Valley Company, expressed satisfaction in witnessing the impactful growth of partnerships in the DTV Ecosystem along with increased collaboration in addressing R&D subjects with highly technical and economic impacts.

Dr. Abduljauwad pledged the university’s continuous support of the DTV’s mission toward result-driven cooperation with both industry and academia.

The event concluded with the recognition of Halliburton for “Best Performance” and Baker Hughes, a GE Company, as “Most Improved Company” among the 10 operating companies in the 2017 DTV Assessment.

In 2010, DTV Company was created by a Royal Charter to operate as a wholly owned subsidiary under KFUPM, to oversee the operations of Dhahran Techno Valley ecosystem. There are currently 16 Saudi and multinational companies operating within the DTV Science Park. — SG