AlQa'dah 7, 1433, Sep 23, 2012, SPA - The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has spent SR 350 million on research projects in the field of biotechnology through the national plan for science, technology and innovation during the past three years, the chief of research at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) has said. Prince Turki bin Saud bin Mohammad Al Saud made this disclosure while inaugurating the Saudi International Biotechnology Conference at the KACST headquarters in Riyadh yesterday. Besides international speakers from the United States and Japan, around 500 local delegates attended the function, according to a report published today by Arab News. Essam Al-Yamani, chairman of the scientific committee, made the introductory remarks at the inaugural ceremony. Prince Turki said the amount spent on research was 25 percent of the total strategic technology projects adopted by the national plan for research projects. He also pointed out that KACST is currently involved in several local and international bodies to develop biotechnology in the Kingdom. He also enumerated the facilities available in the Kingdom to develop biotechnology.
