ABOUT THE EVENT
Date: September 14, 2026 - September 16, 2026
Event Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Riyadh Global Medical Biotechnology Summit (RGMBS) 2026 is Saudi Arabia’s flagship international event for medical biotechnology, convening the world’s leading scientific, industrial, government, and investment leaders to advance a singular ambition: positioning Saudi Arabia as a global biotechnology hub built to accelerate innovation and address some of the world’s most pressing health challenges.
Taking place September 14-16, 2026, in Riyadh, the summit will convene internationally recognized leaders across genomics, gene and cell therapy, biomanufacturing, immunology, and AI-driven drug discovery, including Dr. Keith T. Flaherty (President, American Association for Cancer Research; Harvard Medical School), Dr. Matthew H. Porteus (Stanford University), Dr. Alex Shalek (MIT), and senior R&D executives from AstraZeneca, GSK, and AbbVie.
The scientific program is organized across six thematic tracks and four pillars of biotechnology excellence:
• Governmental Strategies & Regulatory Support
• Investment & Funding
• Research & Development (Pre-Clinical and Clinical Readiness)
• Building Capabilities
These pillars are reflected throughout the scientific program, bringing together leaders from academia, industry, government, and investment to explore the future of biotechnology while supporting Saudi Arabia’s National Biotechnology Strategy.
Across its first three editions, RGMBS has facilitated 59 agreements with global partners, including Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Novo Nordisk, with the 2024 edition alone generating more than $100 million in announced deal value. The 2026 edition aims to facilitate more than 65 agreements and welcome delegates from more than 70 countries. Dedicated sessions led by Public Investment Fund (PIF) portfolio companies will showcase how national initiatives are translating strategy into investment, localization, biomanufacturing, and commercialization at scale.
Saudi Arabia’s advantage is structural, not incidental. Geographically, the Kingdom sits at the crossroads of three continents, connecting Asia, Africa, and Europe within a single flight radius of two-thirds of the world’s population, creating unique advantages for clinical trial recruitment, biomanufacturing distribution, and market access. Economically, sustained sovereign investment through the Public Investment Fund and a maturing regulatory ecosystem under the Saudi Food and Drug Authority are de-risking capital deployment at a scale few markets can match. Scientifically and technologically, national investment in genomics, AI-driven drug discovery, and precision medicine infrastructure, anchored by institutions such as KAIMRC and KSAU-HS, is accelerating the translation of discovery into clinical impact.
What distinguishes this ecosystem is direction. Under a top-down national strategy led by His Royal Highness the Prime Minister and Crown Prince, biotechnology has been elevated from a sector priority to a national mandate, aligned with Saudi Arabia’s National Biotechnology Strategy and its target to contribute $34.6 billion to non-oil GDP by 2040. RGMBS 2026 is where that strategy comes to life by connecting global expertise, investment, policy, and scientific innovation.
Now in its fourth edition, RGMBS is organized by the Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs and hosted by King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS) and the King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), with the Ministry of Investment serving as Strategic Partner. The summit will take place at the Sofitel Riyadh Hotel and Convention Center.
