Rabeah, Minister of Commerce and Industry, Tuesday announced a SR8 billion national science and technology plan. The plan seeks to transform the Kingdom into a knowledge society by increasing support for scientific research and technical development. It will also ensure educational institutions can produce enough qualified manpower to cope with development plans. Dr. Al-Rabeah was delivering a speech on behalf of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, at the Conference of Knowledge Industry here, Tuesday. “Despite the achievements we've made, we realize we still have a lot to do. We rely on Almighty Allah and our will to make the future and achieve the ambitions of our people, the King's speech said. He called for more support for scientific research conducted by Gulf youths, universities and industrial companies. He also pointed out that Gulf countries are developing IT infrastructure and allocating more funds for research and education to transform themselves into societies of knowledge that rely on advanced technology. King Abdullah said “promising industrial projects that rely on sophisticated technology will be implemented to develop human resources and increase economic growth as well as achieving sustainable development,” the King said. Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Aqeel, Secretary General of the Gulf Organization for Industrial Consulting (GOIC) was also in attendance at the conference. He stressed on GOIC's role as an advanced center which support industries in Gulf countries. He said it will do this by supporting the knowledge industry, commercial and industrial economies, creating investment opportunities and finding the best ones. __
