Held from November 26 to November 29, the 9th Annual Forum for MedicalResearch hosted by KAIMRC was buzzing with fruitful discussions and more than 1,500 researchers, medical students and staff and policymakers participated.
A push to increase the number of clinical trials in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was a main theme of the forum, highlighting the need for more phase I trials and discussing the best way to boost the kingdom’s participation. Delegates at the forum recognized the need for greater collaboration between the medical field and legislative entities to simplify and speed up the relevant approvals process.
Under the auspices of His Highness Prince Khalid bin Abdulaziz bin Ayyaf, the former minister of National Guard, the forum featured sessions ranging from trials in the kingdom, to the economic impact of research and development in the medical field. More than 600 research papers were submitted for the forum, which adopted the theme of “Achieving the Vision of the Kingdom through Medical Research.”
The forum hosted notable speakers from many countries and research fields. Opening the event, Prince bin Ayyaf described KAIMRC as “a beacon of development and progress.”
“Research is the way to advance the economy,” said Prince bin Ayyaf. “The National Guard is proud of its role and mission on the health front, which saw a lot of advancement.”
Speakers and stakeholders made seven final recommendations to guide academics, professionals and policymakers through the next phase. In addition to calling for more drug trials, participants also stressed the importance of research and development in the field and partnerships between the medical and academic fields.
Given the importance of retaining talents, there were also proposals for investing in the development of emerging scientists and finding new talents, as well as creating more post-doc programmes for scientific researchers.
Finally, to guarantee continuous development of the biomedical field, speakers agreed on the importance of funding and investing in the relevant technology.
Medical students had a strong presence in the forum, which provided 25 credit hours for participating students, accredited by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties.