A delegation from the Universidade Católica travelled to Saudi Arabia to visit and establish contacts with various universities and meet with members of government and research bodies.
Comprising the President, Isabel Capeloa Gil, the Vice-Rector, Nelson Ribeiro, the Director of the Faculty of Biotechnology, Paula de Castro, the Deputy Director of the Católica Medical School, Paulo Oom, and Ana Martinho, a lecturer at the Institute of Political Studies, the delegation visited Jeddah, where it met with the president and leadership of King Abdulaziz University, and also visited Jeddah University, the newest university in Saudi Arabia.
As part of this trip, the delegation had already visited Alfaisal University in Riyadh, where they also met with the president, Mohammed Al Hayaza, and the vice-president of the institution, Princess Maha bint Mishari AlSaud.
In the Saudi capital, the tour also included Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, which is the largest women-only university in the world. Founded in 1970, it is a public academic institution with more than 21,000 students and 1,700 staff, with a strong focus on health and medical sciences. The campus has a high-tech “medical city”, which includes a 1,400-bed hospital, health services, research centres and specialist clinics. In addition, its internal transport system includes a driverless rail network, with a train connecting the various areas of the university.
In Riyadh, the Católica delegation also met with representatives from the Health Sciences Department at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University, members of the University Affairs Council of the Ministry of Education, and members of the Gulf Research Centre, a think tank and academic research and advisory body specialising in Gulf issues.
