RIYADH — The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has ranked 1st in the Arab world and the 17th globally in Saudi universities efforts to publish researches on coronavirus, as Saudi Arabia accounted for 1.8% of global research production.

The Minister of Education Dr. Hamad Bin Mohammed Al-Sheikh, has extended thanks and appreciation to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy prime minister and minister of defense, for their continuous support for education, research and innovation, as well as preparing all means for scholars and researchers in Saudi universities to achieve success and compete globally.

The minister affirmed that this achievement is a continuation of great efforts exerted by Saudi Arabia to address the coronavirus pandemic. Saudi Arabia surpassed many countries, which reflects its ability to deal with crises, he added.

In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the minister said that Saudi universities published researches on coronavirus accounting for 83.4% of the Kingdom's production. This was achieved by national efforts that started since the outbreak of the pandemic.

Dr. Al-Sheikh stressed the ministry’s keenness to organize a number of specialized events, with the participation of a large number of universities and Saudi research centers, researchers and academics.

He noted that the ministry is also keen on coordinating universities' efforts through specialized workshops to raise the efficiency and contribution of researches to address the COVID-19 pandemic. — SPA