Dedicated for scientific, research and industrial advancement, Dr. Turki Bin Saud Launches the Saudi Research and Innovation Network (Maeen Network).
His royal highness, prince Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud, the president of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), launched the Saudi Research and Innovation Network (Maeen Network) at the KACST headquarters in Riyadh on Sunday December 17th, 2017. Maeen Network operates at the high speeds and is dedicated for scientific, research and industrial purposes. The launch took place in the presence of his Excellency the minister of communications and information technology Eng. Abdullah Al-Sawahah.
Prince Turki bin Saud said in his speech during the launch ceremony that the Saudi Research and Innovation Network (Maeen Network) is one of the initiatives of KACST, to serve the scientific research in the Kingdom. He said that Maeen Network is one of the specialized networks supporting the national scientific research through providing many applications and research services at high speeds and with efficiency transferring and protecting data.
Prince Turki pointed out that Maeen Network has been established with national competences and expertise having a high degree of trustworthiness and efficiency. He stressed that through this network, universities, research centers, industrial sector, hospitals and libraries in the Kingdom will be connected with the major scientific and educational institutions and international companies through Internet2, the leading research network.
For his part, the minister of communications and information technology Eng. Abdullah Al-Sawahah stressed that the importance of Maeen Network is not only as a network. But also as a platform for entrepreneurs and those interested in launching solutions to achieve the vision of our beloved homeland. He hoped that this network would become a model with similar success stories as that of Internet 2.
The director of the Internet Service Unit (ISU), Dr. Mohammed bin Saleh Al-Athel, explained that Maeen Network enables universities, research and industrial centers to cooperate and communicate with major companies, scientific research institutions and global education at very high speeds.
The director of the Saudi Network for Research and Innovation (Maeen Network), Eng. Ibrahim bin Salem Al-Shadoukhi explained that the network seeks to create a technological environment enableing researchers and academics to conduct research and test innovative technologies. It will save them time and money while meeting their requirements. He mentioned that the network opens a window towards research and innovation by connecting with research networks distributed across continents and in most countries of the world.
The representative of Internet 2 in the Middle East, Mr. Jonathan Douglas Chapman talked about the American academic network that is connected to most of the academic networks scattered across the world, and its role in connecting the continents of the world speeds of more than 100Gbps.
The event included workshops on sub-research networks, international collaboration through academic research networks, and the role of information technology in supporting research at KAUST.
The Saudi Research and Innovation Network aims to encourage participation, cooperation and exchange of information among the members of scientific, industrial and research communities, and to strengthen the position of Saudi universities and research centers in the world by connecting the network with other international research networks and transferring knowledge and technology through the transfer of research and development to the industrial and research sector, as well as contribute to raising the level of scientific research in the Kingdom by providing researchers with the necessary tools and services.
Maeen Network service both national development and the achievement of scientific renaissance. Maeen Network provides high-quality network services, and value added services such as backup, inter-connectivity, and cloud computing services. Maeen Network provides a unique and simplified environment to facilitate distance learning using the latest e-learning technology.
The Saudi Network for Research and Innovation (Maeen Network), in collaboration with its partners, to provides the necessary facilities for education, research, innovation, development and industry covering universities, research centers, digital libraries, schools, museums, hospitals and industrial facilities serving all academics, researchers, doctors, university students, teachers and school students.
Academic networks contribute to bridging the digital divide between research centers, universities and other academic institutions in different geographic regions by providing communications and information technology services at multiple levels.
The academic network can serve many practical and technical research and investment partners in the industry. Areas that can benefit from the services of the network are physics, astronomy, medicine and biology, information and communication technologies, environmental sciences, etc.