KACST  has recently completed an integrated concept to start building and developing a National Observatory that care for the measurement of science, technology and innovation indices in the Kingdom.  The purpose is to depend on these indices to measure the scope of achieved development to attain the goals of the national plans and strategies for science, technology and innovation.

The standards of the intended center are compatible with the international standards set by the international organizations such as UNESCO, and the organization of economic Cooperation and Development and “Oslo” Manual concerned with the development of the scientific and technological capacities whereas the conventional indices, which are confined to the measurements of the numbers of graduates and their fields of specialization, will not be needed any more.

In this regard, planning to build national capabilities able to collect, classify and analyze statistics on the activities of scientific and technological development and then to induct the same through studies aiming at obtaining the feedback to assist in reconstruction of policies and strategies of scientific and technological development, has been completed.

 The annual report of KACST  for the year 1428 /1429 H. which was issued recently, points to some scientific indices of the Kingdom.  These indices play a prominent role in the system of science and technology in the Middle East Region, however, their role on the international field is limited.  Saudi researchers have published 20700 articles in a number of various scientific fields during the years 1996 – 2006.

The Kingdom was ranked the forty eighth among countries of the world in regards to total published articles, while it occupied the fourth rank in the Middle East region and its researchers occupied the fifty first rank on the international level and the third rank in the Middle East on (h- index).

Regarding the patents (on inventions), the Kingdom has achieved an advanced rank among the countries of the Middle East in the technology development in regards to the number of patents registered at the American Office for Patients on Inventions and Trade Marks.  The Kingdom has registered 164 patents and this has become the First Arab Country.