Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — Riyadh-based Alfaisal University and Saudi Airlines Cargo, known as Saudia Cargo, have signed a memorandum of understanding to work together on academic and scientific research in artificial intelligence and logistics.
The agreement also covers curriculum development, student training and professional development. Dr. Khaled Al-Kattan, Alfaisal University's vice president for financial and administrative affairs and dean of its College of Medicine, signed for the university. Hashim Alsharif, vice president for strategy at Saudia Cargo, represented the air freight carrier.
Under the memorandum, the two sides discussed setting up joint research programs in logistics operations and emerging technologies, AI among them. University students, faculty members and Saudia Cargo employees would take part in that research, SPA said.
The parties also talked about shaping course content around the skills that private-sector employers need. Short-term training at Saudia Cargo's headquarters is planned for male and female Alfaisal students, either through the Tamheer on-the-job training program or through cooperative training placements.
Workshops and specialized courses on how AI can be applied to logistics services are part of the plan, as are conferences, seminars and scientific lectures. The university and the cargo carrier will also back innovation initiatives aimed at improving logistics services.
Saudia Cargo, for its part, is looking at ways to develop its own staff through the academic, training and professional development programs that Alfaisal offers. As a memorandum of understanding, the document sets a framework for cooperation.
The partnership draws on Alfaisal's expanding AI offering. The university's College of Engineering and Advanced Computing runs a bachelor's degree in artificial intelligence that includes a summer internship in a workplace setting. A master's program in applied AI covers machine learning, data science and AI systems.
Alfaisal also has an AI center that leads its research and teaching in the field and builds partnerships with industry. Its AI academy has introduced pre-university students to the subject through hands-on summer programs.
Dr. Khaled Al-Qattan, Vice President for Financial and Administrative Affairs and Dean of the College of Medicine at Alfaisal University, said: “The logistics sector occupies a pivotal position in the Kingdom's ambitions under Saudi Vision 2030, and our partnership with Saudi Cargo connects what Alfaisal University offers in the field of artificial intelligence, from undergraduate and postgraduate programs to scientific research, with one of the leading air freight companies in the region, so that our students and faculty work on real challenges in a sector of national importance.”
Al-Kattan said that training students alongside Saudia Cargo's professionals, and opening the university's programs to the company's staff, would create a two-way exchange of knowledge. He added that the aim is to grow national talent and support innovation and change in the logistics sector.
Hashim Alsharif, Vice President for Strategy at Saudia Cargo, said: “At Saudi Cargo, we are clearly aware that the integration of academic expertise with smart solutions and artificial intelligence technologies contributes to serving the aspirations of the logistics sector, and we seek with Al-Faisal University to work on joint research programs that meet the needs of the labor market, in addition to opening the horizons of field training and professional development for students and employees, in a way that enhances the efficiency of air freight and supports the refinement of national cadres to be a major driver for the future of logistics in the Kingdom."
The link between campus and company could give Saudia Cargo earlier access to AI-trained graduates, while Alfaisal students may gain experience with real air freight operations. The first concrete step named in the agreement is short-term training for Alfaisal students at Saudia Cargo's headquarters.
