The second Saudi International Innovation Conference (SIIC) which was held recently at Leeds University, UK, allowed Saudis studying in Britain to meet with decision-makers, businessmen and scholars and discuss the possibilities for innovation in Saudi Arabia and how their university studies can contribute. The two-day conference was based on debates, presentations and training workshops. Farhan Al-Shahrani, a Saudi Aramco-sponsored PhD student at the University of Oxford, delivered a speech on the conference's scientific achievements. Al-Shahrani has earned five patents, three as an employee in Aramco's Research and Development Centre in Dhahran and two during his studies at Oxford University. His patents focus on the desulfurization of hydrocarbon streams, particularly diesel, by oxidation reactions and then removing the oxidized species by extraction or absorption. He was among two other Saudi researchers awarded by the ambassador for their accomplishments. Held under the patronage of Prince Mohammed Ibn Nawaf, Saudi Ambassador to the United Kingdom and Ireland, and sponsored by King Saud University and Saudi Aramco, the conference covered applied science, engineering, humanities and information and communication technology. Two debates, "Innovation in Saudi Arabia, Facts and Hopes" and "The Role of Universities in Creating a Sustainable Knowledge-Based Economy," took place on the first day. The second day included more debates, two training workshops and 56 oral presentations delivered by Saudi researchers. __
