Riyadh: The King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), in collaboration with the Research, Development and Innovation Authority (RDIA) and Community Jameel Saudi, celebrated the graduation of the first cohort of the Accelerating Research to Commercialization (ARC) Program at The Garage. The event was attended by Dr. Munir Eldesouki, the President of KACST and Acting Governor of RDIA, along with leaders from the research, development, and innovation sector.
According to Saudi Press Agency, the cohort included 12 selected research projects in fields such as health technologies, biomedicine, environmental sustainability, energy solutions, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, drones, and advanced materials. These projects were spearheaded by six national entities: KACST, King Abdulaziz University, Umm Al-Qura University, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, and King Fahad Medical City. The projects' Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) varied from early to advanced stages, allowing for the assessment of their commercialization readiness.
During the ceremony, Omar Alhusseini, KACST General Manager of Commercialization and Technology Transfer, announced the launch of the second edition of the ARC Program. The new edition will feature 25 research teams and aims to support the transition of projects to the market by validating market assumptions and building business models. Alhusseini emphasized that the program guides researchers to engage with potential customers to identify their needs, test solutions, and develop the technology and business model to meet actual market requirements.
Alhusseini stated, "Today, we celebrate the conclusion of the first edition, following more than 500 customer interviews conducted by the teams and more than 80 training and mentoring sessions. Four teams went on to establish startups, two teams pursued technology licensing, and the top three projects joined the Jameel DeepTech initiative."
The ceremony showcased presentations of participating projects, which included a smart platform for assessing and rehabilitating sensory and neurological disorders, a platform for treating food allergies in children, an application for analyzing chronic wounds and monitoring their healing, oral insulin pills as an alternative to injections, a radiation-free thermal imaging system for breast health screening, a fuel management system for transport fleets, and a 3D-printed filter for sand control in water and oil wells.
The ARC Program is part of national efforts to empower researchers and innovators to transform their scientific outputs in deep technologies into commercially viable products and services. It also supports the national innovation ecosystem, contributing to the creation of high-quality jobs in innovation and technology transfer and enhancing the knowledge-based economy's contribution to GDP.
