Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM) and General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support Military Research & Development (R&D) initiatives in the Defense Sector.
This MoU further aims to better align both research and graduates with the strategic needs of the Kingdom’s Defense Sector.
In attendance were the Minister of Energy & KFUPM Chairman HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud and H.E. Governor Ahmad Al-Ohali.
This partnership is an important step for our Sector and for the Kingdom as it lays a solid foundation for cooperation in development of Academic Curricula and University Research Programs, as well as fields of study and Graduation Projects. All of this pursuant to satisfying the need for building the right caliber of human capital in R&D.
The General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) was established in accordance with the resolution of the Saudi Council of Ministers in August 2017. It embodies Saudi Arabia’s aspiration to develop national military manufacturing capabilities. The Authority is the regulating body for the military industries sector in the Kingdom and is responsible for its development and monitoring its performance.
GAMI aims to achieve 50% localization of the Kingdom’s spending on military equipment and services by developing industries, facilitating research and technologies, developing national human capital, and enhancing exports through enabling the sector by long-term planning of military purchases and providing incentives to local manufacturers.
GAMI also seeks to enable the domestic military industries sector to become a key component of the Kingdom’s economy, contribute in the creation of job opportunities for Saudi youth, and propel the country’s development, in addition to achieving five key national priorities:
• Increase military readiness
• Enhance strategic autonomy
• Enhance interoperability within and across entities
• Develop a sustainable local military industries sector
• Increase transparency and efficiency of spend
King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM) is the premier university in Saudi Arabia and in the whole Middle East and North Africa region.
KFUPM was established on 23 September 1963 by a Saudi royal decree as the College of Petroleum and Minerals providing high-level education about petroleum and minerals, two of the most-valuable natural resources in Saudi Arabia. It was elevated to university status in 1975 and expanded its programmatic offerings in a wide-ranging spectrum of science, engineering, technology, and business/management. It was renamed after King Fahd in 1986.
KFUPM achieved the fourth position in the annual ranking of the U.S. National Academy of Inventors and the Intellectual Property Owners Association for the universities worldwide in 2019.
