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Saudi Arabia Advances 15 Ranks on Global Innovation Index

A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Advances 15 Ranks on Global Innovation Index

A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia has risen 15 places in the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Global Innovation Index 2022, reflecting the extent of development in research, development, and innovation in the Kingdom.

In June, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman revealed the National Aspirations and Priorities for Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) in Saudi Arabia for the next two decades based on four key priorities; human health and wellness, sustainable environment and supply of essential needs, energy and industrial leadership, and economies of the future.

The plan aims to enhance the Kingdom's global competitiveness and entrepreneurship, align with the plans of the Saudi Vision 2030, and improve its status in the region.

Forbes Magazine reported that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the fastest-transforming countries in the world, working to diversify its economies by entering new sectors that have contributed to the development of the national innovation system over the past decade.

It also cited Saudi Aramco in its report, which included the contributions of ten Saudi companies in innovation fields. The company obtained 864 patents from the US Patent and Trademark Office in 2021 alone, bringing it to first place in the oil and gas sector globally and entering the list of the top 50 companies and universities that obtained patents this year. In 2022, the company strengthened its efforts in research and innovation, with the number of patents increasing to 963.

Digital infrastructure in the Kingdom ranked second among the G20 countries, according to the Digital Competitiveness Report 2021 issued by the European Center for Digital Competitiveness, state news agency SPA reported.

In 2017, only one Saudi company entered the "Forbes" list of the most funded startups in the Middle East. By 2020, that number increased to two, and this year the number rose to five Saudi companies within the top ten positions in the list.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has focused its innovation efforts on sustainability, announcing its commitment to increasing the percentage of energy generation from renewable sources to reach 50% by 2030, in preparation for achieving zero neutrality by 2060. In the same context, the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) entered the Guinness World Records, achieving a new record as the desalination plant with the least energy consumption in the world, at a rate of 2.27 kilowatt-hours per cubic meter of desalinated water.

The Research, Development, and Innovation Authority (RDIA), in collaboration with Forbes Middle East, reviewed the ten most innovative companies in each of the four sectors of the national priorities in the Kingdom, totaling 40 companies. The list includes Aramco, SABIC, NEOM, STC, Ma’aden, Almarai, Al Rajhi Bank, Al-Habib Medical Group, ACWA Power, and Saudi National Bank.

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Varieties

UK Towns Harness Nature to Combat Rising Flood Risk

A volunteer constructs a natural flood management feature on the Saffron Brook in Leicester. Darren Staples / AFP
A volunteer constructs a natural flood management feature on the Saffron Brook in Leicester. Darren Staples / AFP
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UK Towns Harness Nature to Combat Rising Flood Risk

A volunteer constructs a natural flood management feature on the Saffron Brook in Leicester. Darren Staples / AFP
A volunteer constructs a natural flood management feature on the Saffron Brook in Leicester. Darren Staples / AFP

In a stream near Leicester in central England, six volunteers in waterproof overalls and boots busily reinforced mini wooden structures designed to combat the rising flooding threat.

The city, like many others in the UK, has experienced several intense rainfall events in recent years, which have caused significant damage.

Alert to climate change, which intensifies these events, authorities are strengthening their defenses and turning to solutions more sympathetic with the environment.

With their feet firmly planted on the bed of the Saffron Brook, a tributary of the River Soar that runs through Leicester, the volunteers ensured the structures' wooden bundles were securely anchored.

These structures create bends that "change the behavior of the river" and slow down water in stretches where it currently flows "straight and very fast," said Dan Scott, who leads the program at the Trent Rivers Trust, a local group working to protect rivers.

He regularly oversees the installation of new facilities.

A few months ago, the trust dug a pond on a river near the town of Loughborough and installed dozens of leaky wooden barriers to better protect downstream houses that flooded in the past.

These techniques are "complementary to traditional flood defenses" such as retention basins and canals that are increasingly under strain, Scott said.

They "help to store some of that water upstream so that those traditional flood defenses don't get overwhelmed, and if they do, it's not as quickly as if these features weren't in place," he added.

They also help to maintain biodiversity.

'Urgent problem'

More than 6.3 million properties are at risk of flooding in the UK, and this figure will rise to more than eight million by 2050, according to a recent government report.

"Flooding is a really urgent societal problem," said Steven Forest, director of the Flood Risk Management Program at the University of Hull.

Climate events resulted in UK insurance payouts of more than £400 million ($532 million) in 2022 and more than £570 million in 2023 and 2024, half of which was related to flooding, according to the Association of British Insurers.

Beyond traditional defenses, "we need to think about living with water, and we need to think about integrating water within our urban spaces," Forest added.

He cited the Netherlands, which allocates space for rivers to drain during heavy rainfall, and the United States, where vegetation "buffer zones" were created after Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

"Straight-jacketing" waterways with various infrastructure is no longer sufficient, Forest said, especially since seven percent of such structures were assessed to be in "poor" or "very poor" condition by the UK Environment Agency in 2022.

Overcoming skepticism

But convincing residents and authorities is not always an easy task as it often needs explaining that "just because we've not built a concrete solution, that it isn't going to be as effective," Scott said.

"It's also about re-educating people in government because it's easier for them to sell something (to voters) that's physical and much more prominent within the landscape," he added.

Traditional developments attracted the lion's share of the £2.6 billion announced by the government in March to fund new flood defense systems over the next two years.

But Scott noted a greater interest in natural flood management over the past five years, with the previous government launching a £25 million program last year.

As a result, Leicester will be able to develop several waterways southeast of the city, and 35 other projects have been selected in England.

"It is encouraging that our successful approach to natural flood management measures is continuing to be supported," Geoff Whittle, a local councilor responsible for the environment, told AFP.

Contemplating the fruits of her labor in Saffron, 50-year-old volunteer Lis Gibbs told AFP that "it feels like you can make a difference," in contrast to climate change in general, which "can feel really overwhelming".