- Saudi Arabia has made giant strides in the field of patent registration, beating many countries, with a rank of 23 from among 92 countries in 2017.
According to figures released by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), 664 Saudi patent registrations were made in 2017, accounting for double the number of patents obtained by Arab countries altogether.
The Saudi leap in the field of invention was attributed mainly to the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. The Kingdom continued its progress in this field, registering 409 patents in 2015 and 517 patents in 2016, the year in which the Vision 2030 was launched.
The King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals ranks among the top 10 universities in the world in the number of patents granted by USPTO, after obtaining 183 patents in 2017, and thus surpassing prestigious universities such as Harvard, Johns Hopkins and the California Institute of Technology.
Dr. Khalid Al-Sultan, president of the university, said the university has surpassed the objectives of its strategic plans in the field of patents. “The university could gain only five patents since its inception until 2005, but later it shot up to find a place in the list of the top ten universities in the world in the field of patent registration.”
The university boasts of having more than 800 patents, accounting for over 60 percent of the patents of the 300 Arab universities.
Saudi Aramco also scaled new heights in the field of intellectual property thanks to continued investments in technology. Having obtained 175 patents in 2016, the oil giant has succeeded in registering 233 new patents in 2017, the report showed.
The Vision 2030 has given innovation and invention a great deal of attention. The registration of this new figure is a reflection of the creative abilities and talent of Saudis working in the field of innovation and invention, it was pointed out.