Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia’s Environment Fund has signed collaborative research agreements with leading Saudi research institutions to support environmental research across various themes including sustainable plant production, wastewater reuse, greywater treatment, coral regeneration, seed bank development, and nanotechnology applications. This initiative underscores the Fund’s commitment to positioning Saudi Arabia as a regional leader in environmental innovation and contributes to the Kingdom’s long term sustainability agenda under Vision 2030.
Further, these research collaborations are also designed to bridge academic expertise with national environmental priorities, supporting practical solutions that enhance climate resilience, biodiversity conservation, and natural resource sustainability.
Speaking of the agreements with the research institutions, “These agreements position Saudi Arabia at the forefront of scientific and environmental innovation. By nurturing academic talent and promoting environmental research more widely, we are building localized capacity to develop impactful solutions relevant to Saudi Arabia and able to respond to global concerns,” said Munir bin Fahad Al-Sahli, CEO of the Environment Fund.
Among the institutions with which the Environment Fund has finalized research agreements are Tabuk University, University of Jeddah, Northern Border University, King Saud University, and Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University. These institutions will conduct research in areas such as seed banking and plant conservation, solar-powered water recovery, coral regeneration, greywater treatment using biotechnological methods, environmental nanocomposites, afforestation, and agrivoltaics. Additional agreements with other institutions are currently under review or pending approval. A notable project is a partnership with the Coral Research & Development Accelerator Platform (CORDAP) to support the development of a smart-decision framework for coral restoration. The project applies advanced physiological screening and long-term monitoring to identify heat-resilient coral colonies, contributing to more effective restoration outcomes and supporting marine biodiversity in the face of climate change.
The Environment Fund continues to strengthen its collaboration with academic and research institutions as part of its broader strategy to enhance environmental knowledge, foster innovation, and support the national green transition in line with Vision 2030.