Building the right talents for biotech

Saudi Arabia, like many countries investing in biotechnology, has focused heavily on capital. Funds are launched, incentives are announced, and global companies are encouraged to enter the market.

But biotechnology industries are not built by capital alone. They are built by talent — and more importantly, by the right types of talent. Without the scientists, regulatory experts, manufacturing engineers, and clinical specialists who translate discovery into products, investment remains ambition rather than industry.

Biotechnology is often perceived as a field driven by scientists alone. Scientific discovery is essential, but translating discovery into real therapies requires a much broader ecosystem of expertise. A functioning biotech industry depends on regulatory strategists who understand approval pathways, clinical development professionals who design and manage trials, manufacturing engineers who scale complex biologics facilities, quality assurance experts who ensure compliance with international standards, and translational scientists who bridge laboratory insight with industrial application.

These roles are not interchangeable. Each represents a professional discipline that requires years of experience and structured development. Together they form the operational backbone of biotechnology.

This is where many emerging biotech ecosystems struggle. Universities produce excellent researchers, but academic training alone does not fully prepare graduates for the industrial environment where biotechnology companies operate.

Academic success is traditionally measured through publications, research grants, and academic rank. Industrial biotechnology demands different competencies: regulatory literacy, operational discipline, manufacturing processes, and cross‑functional collaboration across science, business, and government.

Bridging this academic–industry gap is one of the most important challenges for countries seeking to build sustainable biotech sectors.

Saudi Arabia is uniquely positioned to address this challenge.

Over the past two decades, the Kingdom has invested heavily in education. Many Saudi scientists and engineers have completed their BSc, MSc, and PhD degrees at leading universities across the US, Europe, and Asia. Increasing numbers of these professionals are now returning home with world‑class training and international experience.

At the same time, domestic institutions such as King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology are producing graduates whose scientific and technical training meets global standards.

This combination — internationally trained talent returning home and strong domestic research institutions — provides a powerful foundation for building a biotechnology workforce.

But talent alone is not enough.

What matters is how that talent is structured, trained, and deployed.

Recruiting highly qualified scientists is expensive. Global competition for biotech professionals drives up hiring costs, relocation packages, and compensation expectations. Once hired, employees must also be trained to operate within regulatory systems, quality frameworks, and industrial development processes that differ significantly from academic laboratories.

Training, therefore, is not a cost to minimize. It is an investment to prioritize.

Biotechnology companies must create structured professional development programs that expose scientists to clinical development, regulatory strategy, and manufacturing operations. Without this transition, even highly educated researchers may struggle to translate their knowledge into industrial outcomes.

Career structure presents another challenge.

In many scientific environments, professional advancement is tied primarily to administrative leadership. Scientists who want career progression often feel compelled to move into management roles rather than continuing to deepen their technical expertise.

This model is poorly suited to biotechnology.

Successful biotech ecosystems create technical career tracks that allow scientists, engineers, regulatory specialists, and manufacturing experts to advance professionally without abandoning the technical work that makes them valuable.

Clear progression pathways reward technical mastery rather than administrative hierarchy.

These structures are essential for retaining deep institutional expertise.

Saudi Arabia can draw useful lessons from another sector where it has successfully developed national capability: cybersecurity.

Over the past decade, the Kingdom has invested heavily in cybersecurity education, training programs, and institutional capacity. Universities developed specialized programs, government initiatives supported national training, and industry partnerships created long‑term career pathways for technical specialists.

The result has been the rapid development of local cybersecurity expertise capable of protecting critical national infrastructure and managing highly sensitive systems.

Cybersecurity became a national capability because talent development was treated as a strategic priority.

Biotechnology requires the same mindset.

By investing in structured training programs, building technical career ladders, and aligning academic education with industry needs, Saudi Arabia can cultivate the diverse talent ecosystem required to sustain a competitive biotech sector.

Industry–academic collaboration will be central to this effort. Universities provide the scientific foundation, but exposure to real development environments must begin early. Internships, joint research initiatives, and industrial fellowships can ensure that graduates enter the workforce with practical experience alongside theoretical knowledge.

Ultimately, the global biotechnology race will not be won by the countries that deploy the most capital.

It will be won by those who cultivate the most capable talent ecosystems.

Saudi Arabia has already laid much of the groundwork. With internationally trained professionals returning home, world‑class institutions such as KAUST and KACST producing new scientists, and growing investment in life sciences infrastructure, the Kingdom has the ingredients necessary to build a resilient biotechnology workforce.

Capital may launch biotech ecosystems.

But the right talent is what turns investment into industry.

• Dr. Huda Alfardus is a businesswoman and biotech investment expert focused on innovation, venture capital, and expanding women’s participation in business and investment markets.