Saudi university earmarks 3m riyals for COVID-19 research

Cairo: A Saudi state university has disclosed allocating 3 million riyals for new coronavirus research.

“This step emanates from the university’s role and its social responsibility, spokesman for the Taif University Satam Al Uteibi told Saudi newspaper Okaz Wednesday.

The university based in western Saudi Arabia has launched an initiative for submitting research papers on COVID-19 under specific conditions proposing economic, medical and social solutions to overcome the global pandemic, the official said.

Sixty-two research projects have been accepted, exploring such themes as economic impact of the virus, the role of artificial intelligence and technology in resisting the virus, social and psychological effects of the pandemic as well as innovative educational methods in the time of COVID-19.

Since the outbreak of the global pandemic, Saudi Arabia has adopted a raft of strict restrictions including a halt to the Umrah trips, banning large gatherings and suspending air travel.