Riyadh – September 28, 2025
The capital Riyadh today saw the launch of Saudi-Canadian Innovation Day, organized by King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) in partnership with The Garage, the National Technology Development Program (NTDP), and the Canadian Embassy in the Kingdom, with wide participation from startups, venture capital funds, and entrepreneurs and experts from both countries. The event aims to strengthen technology partnerships, attract investment, and support the global expansion of Saudi startups.

At a Glance

  • Innovation as an economic engine: KACST President Dr. Munir bin Mahmoud Al-Desouki said in his opening remarks that the Kingdom is moving steadily toward turning knowledge into economic value, noting that it is home to more than 40,000 researchers, 100 laboratories and 3,000 scientists. He said KACST has adopted several initiatives to accelerate innovation's economic impact, most notably an open-access policy for research infrastructure and The Garage project, which has supported more than 600 startups worth over $2 billion combined and helped create 7,500 high-value jobs.
  • A strategic partnership with Canada: Canadian Ambassador to the Kingdom Jean-Philippe Linteau praised the depth of Saudi-Canadian relations, affirming that cooperation between the two countries on innovation reflects a long-term strategic partnership, and pointing to Canada's interest in practical partnerships with Saudi Arabia in turning innovation into economic and social value.
  • Supporting national initiatives: Dr. Rami Niazi, vice president of the Research, Development and Innovation Authority, presented an overview of national research and innovation priorities, which focus on maximizing the economic impact of scientific research across five tracks: education, funding, infrastructure, regulations and behavioral aspects.
  • Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies: Dr. Basma Al-Buhairan, executive director of the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR), said the Kingdom has become a global leader in adopting technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, smart cities and future mobility, highlighting initiatives including a quantum economy roadmap and collaborative platforms for small and medium-sized enterprises.
  • Promising investment opportunities: Sadeem Al-Anazan of the Public Investment Fund's Private Sector Platform presented more than 170 investment opportunities worth over $10 billion across 11 strategic sectors, including renewable energy, mining, technology, media and transport.

Khaled Al-Mutawa, NTDP's director-general of entrepreneurship, presented the program's initiatives, which have contributed a cumulative impact of 13.41 billion riyals to GDP and created 17,000 jobs through the third quarter of 2025, as the Kingdom approaches its goal of 10 billion-dollar companies by 2026.

The event included panel discussions and introductory presentations from Saudi-Canadian startups, alongside direct business meetings between investors and venture capital funds, opening wide opportunities to exchange expertise and explore avenues of technical and investment cooperation between the two countries.