Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia: Vision 2030

This book provides valuable insights into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) through a comprehensive examination of Vision 2030, an ambitious economic plan by the KSA to reinvent and diversify its economy from a heavy dependence on hydrocarbon to knowledge-based resources.

Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia: Vision 2030 discusses how this initiative will assist the government in achieving its envisioned goals by creating a culture of research, innovation and entrepreneurship. It studies the current state of the field as well as new policies and reforms in Saudi Arabia which encompass education systems, ICT infrastructure and a vibrant innovation landscape that includes academia, the public and private sectors and civil society. The authors present a number of real-life case studies as a model of inspiration for cross-sector development. The book provides a source of inspiration for other nations in studying the KSA’s determined and ambitious plans as a country in a transitioning journey, from a natural resources-based economy towards a knowledge-based country with considerable diversification in all sectors.

This book is a useful reference for students, researchers and policy and decision-makers in understanding Saudi innovation and the economic diversification ecosystem.

Muhammad Khurram Khan is currently working as Professor of Cybersecurity at the Center of Excellence in Information Assurance (CoEIA), King Saud University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He is founder and CEO of the Global Foundation for Cyber Studies and Research, an independent, non-profit and non-partisan cybersecurity think-tank registered in Washington D.C. which explores and addresses global cyberspace challenges from the intersecting dimensions of policy and technology.

Muhammad Babar Khan received his masters in media sciences from Iqra University, Pakistan, in 2015. He is working for a renowned think tank, Global Foundation for Cyber Studies and Research, USA, as a research analyst and media advisor and is currently pursuing another masters in international relations and a PhD in media studies.