The Vice Minister of Health, Eng. Abdulaziz Al-Rumaih and Ms. Elisabeth Staudinger, Member of the Managing Board at Siemens Healthineers, attended today the inauguration ceremony of the “SHIFT” Innovation Center in Riyadh, a regional innovation hub designed to localize and adapt pioneering solutions to meet the Kingdom’s and the Middle East’s healthcare challenges and market needs. The initiative stems from a collaboration between the Ministry of Health and Siemens Healthineers, making it one of the first Global Health Exhibition 2025 agreements to move from announcement to tangible reality.
The center aims to drive innovation and scientific research, foster strategic partnerships among healthcare and research entities, startups, and innovators, and build national capabilities to transfer knowledge and integrate global expertise with local insights. Through these efforts, the center seeks to develop scalable, sustainable solutions that enhance healthcare services and strengthen Saudi Arabia’s position as a leading regional innovation hub across the Middle East and Africa.
The “SHIFT” Center also houses Digi X-Lab, a Siemens Healthineers facility that enables researchers and clinicians to leverage data and artificial intelligence technologies, transforming medical data into scientific insights that accelerate clinical research and support healthcare innovation.
The establishment of the “SHIFT” Innovation Center reflects the shared commitment of the Ministry of Health and Siemens Healthineers to fostering innovation within the healthcare ecosystem through advanced solutions that elevate the quality of care. This aligns with the objectives of the Health Sector Transformation Program under Saudi Vision 2030, reinforcing the Kingdom’s journey toward a thriving, innovation-driven knowledge economy.