Riyadh, 21 March 2009, SPA
HRH prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Head of the GIP, has signed an agreement of (20 million riyals) for studies and scientific consulting services with King Saud University, through King Abdullah Institute for research and consultancy studies, and also an agreement for setting up the Prince Mugrin Chair for information security technology worth (5 million riyals) which will be financed from the personal accoount of Prince Mugrin.
Before the signing ceremony, prince Mugrin toured some sections of the University, including the Deanship for the preparation year, the colleges of engineering and business administration, as well as King Abdullah Institute for Nano Technology.
After that the ceremony started, and his royal highness prince Mugrin delivered a speech in which he explained that what the university is experiencing of unprecedented movement, covering many spheres and channels including its signing up with many established international universities, its cooperation with a group of Nobel prize laureates, as well as its pacts with businessmen and national entities for supporting research chairs, all aim to achieve many intended goals including the transforming of the Saudi economy to an economy of knowledge so that sustainable development and leadership can be achieved in fields such as the educational profession, and so that educational output can be bolstered and sought after, by employment centers for research and services.
His highness reiterated that this activity and these efforts are the fruition of the belief of the first man of education in the kingdom the Custodian of the Two Holy mosques King Abdullah, in the preparation of the human being. He pointed out that the investing in the human being is the real wealth of the land and the future of its generations. He also said that supporting of education, with the approving of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’ project for developing education, and his directives for expanding foreign study grants, as well as the establishing of universities and the King’s interest in technology in all its forms through the whole country in a way that has not seen before, all of these aim to achieve balanced development in which all citizens can thrive. At the end of his address, his highness expressed his happiness with this investment in education which coincides with the requirements and the conditions for competing successfully on the international scene and for joining the league of advanced countries, besides building a knowledge based society (through the setting up of the prince Mugrin chair for information security technology).
After that the signing took place for the studies and consultancy services, between his royal highness prince Mugrin the Head of the GIP, and the Minister for Higher Education. And also the agreement with the Rector of the of the university for setting up the Chair of prince Mugrin for information security technology.
Finally, the press meeting was held in which his highness said that the agreements will bolster the work of the intelligence service in the fields of basic sciences, as well as engineering, IT, construction, planning (and others). He pointed out that the duration of the agreement was five years.
His highness added that “we are continuously striving to develop work and administration performance of the employees of the GIP, and will not hesitate to request the help of specialists and people of experience and qualification, to help us with our administrative work”. Regarding his royal highness’s chair for information security technology, his highness explained that the security of information has today become an international obsession, and that there is a need for making more effort, on behalf of researchers and specialists, on all that is connected to information security. He said that “I didn’t hesitate for a moment in adopting the idea of setting up a research chair for information security technology at KSU, because of my belief in the need of the country and its institutions, as well as individuals, for studies and scientific activity relating to information security”.
His highness called for adopting a (information technology policy) that stems from the family and starts from the home spreading towards working stations in all government departments, so that the citizen can be responsible for preserving the security of information that he owns, in view of the wealth of information found in the world, and the continuous technological advancement in informational tools. His highness reiterated the need for the allocation, by government departments, of special budgets, and for securing qualified cadres for applying the concepts of information security, especially as the chair of prince Mugrin for security information technologies will strive to present concepts of information security thanks to the wealth of experience and qualified personnel the university has at its disposal, and its special relations it enjoys with international researchers and foundations. He praised the policies of the university for supporting research and scientific studies, and commended the development and advancement noticed in the colleges and institutes of the university, explaining that the position attained by the university at present, both at the Arab and world levels, is proof of the hard work put in by the administration and all its employees.
Regarding the response of the citizens to the electronic site of the GIP, his highness said that “three cases were actually solved through the internet”, and pointed out that the intelligence service is about to launch its unified number for reporting incidents (985), which will be receiving calls around the clock. As far as women activity in the GIP was concerned, his highness emphasized that the section is carrying its work to the highest level of efficiency, and that every individual in the country can feel proud of the woman’s section.
On his behalf, the Minister of Higher Education, Dr. Khaled Al-angari, expressed his thanks and appreciation for the support enjoyed by the sector, and afforded to it by the Custodian of the two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz.
He said in a statement that “education in our land, especially higher education, enjoys the concern of the guardians of the land, and the government is always trying to provide everything that helps and bolsters higher education, because of its belief in the role played by institutions of higher education in the country”. He added that the agreements signed with the GIP come in accordance with the instructions of the leadership for allowing Saudi universities to share in serving its society, and increasing the level of this strategic partnership for the benefit of the citizen and the country, in an effort to achieve a viable knowledge based society.
His Excellency expressed great appreciation for his royal highness for agreeing to sign the agreements with the university, his interest in information technology, and his guaranteeing the financing of the chair, which is an indication of his profound futuristic vision for an important scientific concern, namely the security of information.
He emphasized that the chair will hopefully meet the needs and aspirations of his royal highness the Head of the GIP, and achieve many of the intended aims for information security on the national level.
Dr. Al-othman, Rector of the university, from his side said that “prince Mugrin had endorsed the research chair for information security, with an aim to realize his highness’s dream of achieving leadership and excellence in research and to develop information security technology. Also that his highness has instructed that the chair be a clear message for carrying out distinguished research and studies in the field of information security so that it may bolster the development and the safety of the country”.
He expressed his gratitude for his highness for his initiative of establishing a scientific partnership with KSU, explaining that the initiative for setting up the chair, and his highness’s financing of it, indicate the great interest he has in new and vibrant scientific fields. He added that the chair can be seen as clear evidence of the huge role, and the active contribution of KSU in the field of information security, pointing out that the initiative of prince Mugrin comes within the framework of support for research chairs that the university launched recently, and coincides with the policies and positions of the country, while also embodying the new policies of the university of concentrating on scientific research, and for opening new horizons for its teaching staff for more excellence and creativity.
