Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud launched the National Biotechnology Strategy, aiming to enhance Saudi Arabia’s position as a leading country in the sector. The strategy focuses on improving national health and life quality, in addition to environmental protection, achieving food and water security, and maximizing economic opportunities and localization of promising industries. This will contribute to achieving the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.
The launch of the National Biotechnology Strategy aims to address challenges and seize opportunities in a rapidly growing sector. It represents a comprehensive roadmap for Saudi Arabia to become a global biotechnology hub by 2040. The biotechnology sector offers significant opportunities to enhance citizens’ health and life quality, boost economic growth, create quality jobs and investments in developing new industries, and provide a more sustainable environment, contributing to the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.
The biotechnology sector is one of the fastest-growing, with some technologies proving highly successful. Emerging and modern technologies can take the sector to new, impactful levels, aligning with Saudi Arabia’s competitive potential and unique advantages. The Kingdom is the largest regional market in pharmaceuticals and vaccines, investing in biotechnology-related sectors, supporting national workforce qualification and training in research, development, and innovation. It focuses on empowering regulatory environments and competitive digital infrastructure. The Kingdom’s genetic diversity and geographical climate offer ideal conditions for complex studies and research.
Therefore, the National Biotechnology Strategy focuses on four strategic directions: Vaccines, to localize and export vaccine manufacturing and lead innovation; Biomanufacturing and Localization, to increase consumption, localization, and export of biomedicines; Genomics, to lead in genomics research and gene therapy; and Plant Cultivation Improvement, to enhance self-sufficiency and lead seed innovation. The strategy aims to enable the local biotechnology industry by facilitating regulatory requirements, providing suitable infrastructure and funding. The strategy’s programs and initiatives will stimulate efforts to create opportunities for private sector investors.
The Kingdom aspires through the National Biotechnology Strategy to achieve leadership in the biotechnology sector in the Middle East and North Africa by 2030, and global leadership by 2040. By 2040, the strategy aims for the sector to contribute 3% to the non-oil GDP, with a total impact of 130 billion riyals, in addition to providing thousands of quality jobs. The launch of the strategy unifies current and future efforts, provides a flexible regulatory environment, advanced infrastructure, integrates public and private sectors, and supports the local sector’s value chain. Details are outlined in the published version of the National Biotechnology Strategy, highlighting Saudi Vision for the sector.
