Richard Davies: British universities can support Saudi universities in acquiring skills to achieve the Saudi Vision goals

Professor Richard Davies became Pro-Vice-Chancellor Global of Newcastle University in 2014. His responsibilities changed to Pro-Vice-Chancellor Global and Sustainability in October 2022. He is a petroleum geologist who started his career with various postings in the UK and abroad in the oil and gas industry, mainly with ExxonMobil. He is now working on climate change, marine methane hydrates and building projects in the area of carbon capture and storage. He is responsible for home and international student targets, international presence and impact of the university, international student recruitment, world rankings, the entry of international students into the University, Newcastle University’s two overseas campuses and research and education related to net-zero and sustainable development goals.

1- How can UK and Saudi universities collaborate more effectively to contribute to the Vision 2030 objectives?

The Saudi Vision 2030 is an ambitious vision which will require investments in skills to achieve its goals. In this regard, we believe that British universities can support Saudi universities in acquiring those skills. Students from the Kingdom can move to the UK to pursue higher education or through a collaborative effort between the two countries we can build a Transnational Educational offer, which enables students to stay in their home country for some or even all of their study to secure an international degree. When it comes to research, Saudi Arabia is looking at areas such as clean energy, tourism and health as part of its Vision 2030. This provides the UK and the Kingdom the opportunity to collaborate on basic research and commercialisation of ideas to develop businesses that make commercial sense and allow us to achieve our national targets, for instance our net zero objectives.

2- What strategies are in place to ensure that students are equipped with the skills needed for the future job market? 

The courses we provide at Newcastle University are fit for the future and based on a comprehensive curriculum, that supports and empowers students to meet the needs of the future job market. We aim to ensure our programmes are at the leading edge of each discipline. In order to achieve this, we have partnered with international corporations to support our teaching and inform some of our taught curricula. Furthermore, we are providing opportunities for students to do internships and take time in placements to gain enough experience in the fields they are interested in during their course or vacation time. All of these opportunities will empower students to better understand the workplace and prepare them to easily adapt to their workplace. We are constantly working to enrich our curriculum with necessary programs to prepare students for the future. 

3- How can UK universities support Saudi institutions in building expertise including cultural and academic development of students? 

At Newcastle University, England, 34 of our student societies are orientated around where our students come and their cultures, so for example we have a Saudi Society and an Islamic Society. So our international students are part of a community in the university that celebrates and supports their culture and their background. Of course students from around the world are enrolled in a class together and they get the chance to learn about each other and their different cultures. Universities are places where students come together and this is an important part of the entire experience. Here, they sit in a classroom with students from other parts of the world, which empowers them to recognise and value different cultures, lifestyles and their strengths and weaknesses. We believe that this understanding is very important, not just for Saudi students but for all our students, since they get to learn more about other cultures.

4- What are some potential collaborative projects that the UK and Saudi universities could work on together? 

We are already working on several projects, for example, we have programs to encourage female students to join Newcastle University and boost their involvement in sports activities. We call this this programme ‘Future Female Leaders in Sport’ and its in partnership with the British Embassy, Princess Nourah University, Sports for All in Dammam, Jeddah United, the University of Business and Technology, the University of Prince Mugrin, Saudi Dodgeball, Newcastle United Foundation and Newcastle Eagles. Encouraging participation in sports activities is an ideal way to build confidence and team spirit. In line with this, we have designed a project to boost female involvement in sports activities. We have also developing projects in clean energy, hospitality and tourism and in marine engineering to support the Saudi Vision 2030. 

5- What are the main challenges faced by universities in both countries when trying to collaborate? 

When it comes to establishing partnerships, universities in the UK and Saudi Arabia work differently, which raises challenges but also adds to the value of what we are doing as we tackle problems differently. The diverse approaches results in a better projects. We have different administrations and ways of organising ourselves. We confront each challenge by working closely as a team, understanding each other’s potential, conducting regular meetings and working towards the same goal. We embrace an approach that allows us to constantly learn, adapt and change. However, sometimes the differences in how we work on both sides might feel challenging but when the objective is important to both sides, it is worth working through any differences. I love building partnerships with Saudi Arabian colleagues who bring a wealth of scientific and leadership experience. 

6- How can these challenges be overcome to foster a more fruitful partnership? 

The most important solution to overcome these challenges is to ensure an unwavering commitment towards the objective of the partnerships. Both parties have to work closely, maintain active communication and understand the objective of the project such as a new course or technology. Another key factor is the support from the government agencies in the UK and Saudi Arabia as well as support from the universities and various industries. So, we believe that the key to fostering fruitful partnerships is teamwork, consistency and not giving up. And we also can see the funny side of the frustrations and differences. It’s a really interesting journey for both sides.

7- Looking ahead, what is your vision for the future of higher education collaboration between the UK and Saudi Arabia? 

We believe that there is a huge potential from working together. That’s why I have spent some much time committed to our collaborations. I have definitely noticed that over the last three to five years, the UK and Saudi Arabia have worked much more closely. There are a lot of common areas where the UK and Saudi Arabia universities can collaborate, such as health, hospitality and tourism, artificial intelligence (AI), computing and clean energy. Although people might think that Saudi Arabia is a very different country from the UK, there are lots of commonalities in these areas. Both countries can collaborate on education and develop skills that the world needs in the future. The area of research and innovation in fields such as health and clean energy and other technologies are important now and in the future. So, we think there is a huge potential. Encouraging more people in the UK and Saudi Arabia to travel to these countries will boost their knowledge of how these two different countries work and we can make really good progress in various fields. 

8- INTO is a perfect bridge for many students between High Schools and high-ranked universities, how has the partnership with Newcastle affected the university?

Since 2008, we have been collaborating with INTO and over the years we had about 1,500 Saudi students in INTO Centre, which is part of the university’s efforts to provide foundation courses, English provision and training to help them come into the university. INTO supports students, they specialise in providing the support and help give the students the skills to become full-time students in the university. We will provide as many opportunities as we can for Saudi students to come to the INTO centre in Newcastle and be part of Newcastle University for their undergraduate and postgraduate programs.