RIYADH: Twenty-six Saudi academics, including 10 women, will leave for the United Kingdom under the annual Post-Doctoral Summer Research (PDSR) Program of the British Council.

“They will travel shortly to the United Kingdom to take part in the British Council’s 2009 PDSR program. The Saudi academics will work alongside their UK counterparts in selected areas of specialization,” said Jim Scarth, the council’s director.

Tim Dearden, first secretary of the British Embassy and Monther Tayeb, head of public relations and communications for BAE Systems, sponsor of the PDSR program, were also present along with the selected students.

Some of the selected candidates said they faced long delays in the issuance of UK visas to them by the British Embassy while others highlighted the high living expenses and urged the British Council to look for more sponsors for the program to subsidize their expenses.

Dearden invited suggestions from the Saudi academics that could help the British Embassy to improve the visa procedures. He said the British Embassy has outsourced the visa application processing through its center in downtown to enable the applicants to get their visas without loss of time.

The British Council started the PDSR in 1989, with King Fahd University for Petroleum and Minerals, to develop a research collaboration program aimed at facilitating the Saudi specialists to work alongside their UK counterparts.

Since 1991 the British Council has been awarding around 20 Saudi academics annually the opportunity to take part in its PDSR program.

“This is the first time we have chosen such a large number,” Scarth said.

The PDSR program is unique to Saudi Arabia since it is designed to introduce staff at Saudi universities and other research institutions to UK research methods and facilities.

The Ministry of Higher Education has approved the names of 26 Saudi academics, including 10 nominated by KFUPM, eight researchers from King Saud University, two each from King Abdulaziz University, King Faisal University and Qassim University, and one each from Umm Al-Qura University and Prince Sultan University.

A Saudi researcher nominated to receive an award under the PDSR will make contact with an appropriate center for research in the UK. The role of British Council is to advise the candidate in identifying the institutions and individuals with relevant research interests.