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Meeting highlights:
- Establishment of Saudi NIH: Saudi NIH, was officially established in August 2023 by royal decree to oversee translation research and clinical trials in Saudi Arabia.
- Core Objectives of the NIH: The NIH’s four main objectives are:
- Improve health and well-being in the community.
- Fund translational research and clinical trials
- Transform research results into health and economic benefits.
- Unify efforts of authorities and research centers
- Translating Science into Real-World Impact: NIH focuses on moving scientific discoveries from basic science to practical application, ensuring real impact on patients and the health sector.
- Support for Innovation and Product Development: NIH has a dedicated department to mentor and support innovation, helping turn research into pharmaceutical products, medical devices, and vaccines.
- Clinical Trial Expediting Initiative: The Clinical Trial Expediting Initiative aims to streamline clinical trial approvals and agreements, aligning with the FDA and major clinical trial centers to speed up processes.
- Positioning Saudi Arabia as a Research Hub: Saudi Arabia is positioning itself as a research and innovation hub.
- Empowering the Next Generation of Researchers: NIH provides resources and recognition for researchers, aiming to motivate young scientists, especially in interdisciplinary research, AI, and clinical trials.
- Vision to Lead in Global Health Innovation: Saudi Arabia to become a global leader in health innovations, serving as an incubator for new ideas and competing with top research ecosystems worldwide.
EF: Could you provide an overview of the establishment, core responsibilities, and main objectives of the Saudi National Institute of Health (Saudi NIH)?
FA: The official establishment of the Saudi National Institute of Health (Saudi NIH) by royal decree, issued by the Council of Ministers, took place in August 2023. Before that, the Saudi NIH existed as an initiative within the Health Sector Transformation Program, which itself is part of the broader Saudi Vision 2030.
The Saudi NIH is responsible for overseeing translational research and clinical trials in the Kingdom. It was established with four key objectives:
The first objective is to contribute to improving health, well-being, and quality of life in the community.
The second objective is to fund translational research and clinical trials while ensuring their quality and efficiency. This gives the Saudi NIH a role similar to other national health research funding agencies.
The third objective is to ensure that the outcomes of research and clinical trials are translated into tangible health and economic benefits. This is an area where many funding agencies, especially in the health sector, have struggled. Scientific results alone do not help patients or health systems unless they are implemented.
The fourth objective is to unify the efforts of authorities and research centers to produce high-quality scientific outcomes that directly contribute to solving national health issues.
EF: How can the Saudi NIH leverage its resources and knowledge translation tools to ensure that scientific discoveries, effectively inform public health strategies?
FA: Taking diabetes type 1 as an example, where it is widespread in Saudi Arabia, it is important to understand the underlying risk factors that require targeted research. These are the types of questions addressed by translational research, which focuses on moving discoveries from the laboratory to clinical settings and then into everyday medical practice.
To make a real difference, we must begin with clear national priorities. These priorities will be translated into competitive grant opportunities. Through this competitive bidding process, research contracts will be awarded to researchers, research groups, and research centers that can address the key knowledge gaps and health challenges we have identified.
Once the research cycle is completed, the role of the Saudi NIH is to continue advancing this knowledge. Scientific findings must be acted on.
The Saudi NIH has the tools to move these discoveries from the research bench into practice. One of those tools is the Knowledge Translation Department, which is responsible for converting discoveries into usable knowledge. The process begins with generating new knowledge—what we call knowledge creation—and then moves into mobilizing and implementing that knowledge within the health system.
We are working within a broader ecosystem to adapt scientific evidence into real-world applications. Take colon cancer, for example. If we find that certain populations are at higher risk of developing it at an earlier age, that insight must be shared with public health authorities. It should then influence practice guidelines in hospitals. If someone belongs to a high-risk population, screening through a colonoscopy should begin earlier, say at age 30 instead of 50 for the population of high-risk factors.
We also need to push insurance providers to cover such early diagnostic procedures and ensure that practitioners are well-informed and equipped to explain this to patients. Practitioners must also be able to inform one another about the risk factors that demand a shift in approach.
In short, transforming research results into real health and economic benefits is important. Economic benefits can come in the form of new pharmaceutical products, medical devices, or vaccines. To support this, we have established a separate department responsible for mentoring, facilitating, and enabling inventions. In the product development domain, we are not focused on publishing preclinical studies in journals like Nature or Science. Instead, we aim to carry those findings into drug development, including phase one trials.
We also have specialized entities and functions within the Saudi NIH to manage this process. For example, we have a dedicated Innovation Department and clearly defined roles within Quality and Business Innovation Services (QBIS) to monitor progress. Our goal is to ensure that after five years of focused research programs, for example in cancer, we can demonstrate tangible outcomes.
EF: Can you elaborate on the main objectives and achievements of the Saudi NIH in unifying research efforts and accelerating clinical trials, and how these initiatives have impacted the national research and development ecosystem?
FA: A core objective of the Saudi NIH is to contribute to unifying the efforts of various authorities and research centers. Alignment across institutions is essential to achieving our national goals. Our job is to address the challenges we find within the research ecosystem. For example, even if a research step is defined, the necessary data may not be available, and we need to work on improving data accessibility.
We also need to ensure that we are reaching the right populations and conducting multi-site, multi-centre studies. Last year, we launched an initiative called the Clinical Trial Expediting Initiative, aimed at reducing the approval time for clinical trials by streamlining regulatory processes and prioritizing studies of national importance.
As part of this initiative, we aligned our efforts with the Saudi FDA and also collaborated with the leading clinical trial centers in Saudi Arabia that are responsible for over 90 percent of the country’s clinical trial activity. We worked with these hospitals to ensure that clinical trials could be started with an attractive timeline. Additionally, under this initiative, the clinical trial ecosystem is committed to the success of having a reasonable approval time. Research and development require an enabling environment, and the Saudi NIH is equipped to provide that. This level of responsiveness and coordination reflects the core purpose behind establishing the Saudi NIH.
EF: Could you elaborate on Saudi Arabia's established foundation and current capacity in health research at a global level?
FA: Saudi Arabia is not new to health research. We already have strong foundations in place. In 2024 alone, we published nearly 17,000 scientific articles in the health sector.
At the Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions 2025, 174 Saudi-led inventions were showcased, many receiving gold and silver medals. Dr. Saad Al-Anzi from Majmaah University, won the Grand Prize in Geneva for developing a medical device. Over 47% of Saudi Arabia’s scientific publications are in the health sector. That is a strategic signal. Our scientific and research energy is concentrated exactly where it is needed most.
We also have the capacity. Saudi Arabia has over 34,000 researchers, and nearly 20,000 are working in health. Our health workforce includes highly educated physicians, pharmacists, and academics. We have advanced infrastructure. What we lacked was a business model to convert this capability into outcomes. That is exactly what we are now building.
Saudi Arabia is aligning its health research with national initiatives like the Saudi Biotechnology Strategy and the National Industry Strategy. Within these, there are specific actions focused on pharma and medical devices. The Saudi NIH is not a traditional funding agency. We define clear outcomes from the beginning.
EF: Could you elaborate on your funding model, how it is different and what are the benefits?
FA: Our funding model, titled “Translating from Bench to Bedside,” is structured around three phases: proof of concept, preclinical studies, and clinical trials. If a research project shows success in proof of concept, we fund it through the preclinical stage and then into phase one trials. We do not abandon researchers between stages. That is the business model we are implementing. The Saudi NIH has become the research and development engine of the Kingdom.
Previously, a researcher might complete proof of concept and then get stuck. There would be no funding or support. Today, we offer a structured path. If a startup from abroad already has a promising product ready for preclinical or phase one trials, we can bring them in, fund them, and accelerate their progress. We are planning to reduce the timeline of the early stage of development from 10 years to 5 years. That is a significant shift.
Unlike conventional agencies that measure success through publications in journals, we evaluate based on progress toward implementation. We are focused on health impact and economic value, and we believe prestige will come as a consequence. The only way to achieve that is through a rigorous, outcome-driven, and strategically aligned business model. This is what sets us apart.
Our ambition is not limited to developing molecules or vaccines. We are equally focused on generating actionable knowledge. This knowledge will not only benefit Saudi Arabia, but we aim for it to be recognized and adopted globally.
EF: How do you ensure that the research being conducted addresses both national health priorities and broader global scientific challenges?
FA: As human beings, we are more than 99% genetically similar. However, there are differences in how we metabolize substances. For example, individuals of Japanese descent often metabolize drugs differently compared to other populations, such as those in the Middle East or Europe.
Despite these differences, common conditions such as hypertension, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases are shared globally. However, the underlying risk factors vary significantly. In North America, for instance, the primary contributors to cardiovascular disease are quite different from those affecting people in Saudi Arabia.
When we look at chronic kidney disease, the causes also differ. In the United States, alcohol consumption might be one of the leading risk factors. In contrast, in Saudi Arabia, not drinking enough water and specific microbial exposure could be significant contributors. The types and sources of microbial contamination also differ, shaping disease patterns in unique ways.
We cannot simply copy global medical guidelines and apply them directly. Instead, we must adapt the science to our local context. At the same time, we should stay open to global findings that may be relevant across different populations. It is about customizing knowledge, not rejecting it.
Generating data and evidence from within our region empowers us to contribute to global science while developing tailored health solutions for our people.
EF: Is there any final message or perspective you would like to offer to the global audience?
FA: Saudi Arabia is not only rising as an economic powerhouse but also becoming a true incubator for health innovation. Our ambition is to build and nurture one of the most competitive and forward-thinking healthcare ecosystems in the world.
We are not just participating in the global conversation, we are helping shape it.
