Alwaleed Philanthropies and RDIA sign USD 2.6M deal to back Saudi Open RAN startups

Alwaleed Philanthropies, a Saudi-based NGO, and the Research, Development and Innovation Authority (RDIA) have signed a USD 2.6 million (SAR 10M) strategic partnership. The agreement will support four startups developing Open RAN technology solutions.

The partnership focuses partly on the Open RAN Technology Challenge, through which the four startups were selected.

Alwaleed Philanthropies will support the initiative and help oversee the participating startups. The agreement is designed to help the winners develop their solutions further, speed up deployment, launch their products and measure their impact.

RDIA will coordinate with stakeholders across the research, development and innovation ecosystem. It will also monitor the startups’ progress, prepare periodic performance reports, share updates with Alwaleed Philanthropies and assess the initiative’s outcomes.

The two organisations will set up a joint working group to oversee implementation, monitor the startups and help launch the products developed through the initiative. They will also explore additional joint programs in research and innovation.

The agreement builds on an earlier collaboration. Their first joint initiative supported 96 women pursuing postgraduate studies in emerging fields, including artificial intelligence and renewable energy, at universities ranked among the world’s top 30.

The agreement aims to strengthen the Kingdom’s research, development and innovation ecosystem, support local talent, and accelerate the development of technology solutions with practical applications. It also seeks to expand collaboration between Saudi Arabia’s public and nonprofit sectors to advance research and innovation.