Salalah: A chemical engineering research laboratory was opened at the University of Technology and Applied Sciences (UTAS) in Salalah today under the auspices of HH Sayyid Marwan Turki Al Said, Governor of Dhofar. The lab embodies the existing partnership between academic and industrial sectors and reflects the national drive to support the system of research and innovation in the Sultanate of Oman.

According to Oman News Agency, the lab comprises advanced facilities, including special chambers for organic and inorganic chemistry, a research meeting hall, and an applied research station. The opening ceremony included a visual presentation about the laboratory's components and objectives.

On the sidelines of the ceremony, a programme for cooperation between UTAS and Dhofar Governorate was signed by HH Sayyid Marwan and Dr. Said Hamad Al Rubaie, Vice-Chancellor of UTAS. The cooperation programme seeks to support partnerships in scientific, social, and developmental fields and focuses on enhancing integration among state institutions and grooming national cadres.

The programme also provides for training the governorate's employees, offering consultation, benefiting from UTAS expertise and capabilities, supporting research, and using the outcomes to develop projects and programmes in the governorate. The cooperation programme aims to support practical training programmes for UTAS students in the governorate's institutions, promote innovation and entrepreneurship, develop SMEs (small and medium enterprises), and activate cooperation in the fields of environment and sustainability, digital transition, and artificial intelligence (AI).