Research In Saudi Arabia
Official sources on research ethics, clinical trial regulation, data protection, data access and research funding in Saudi Arabia. Figures from Saudi data sources are in the national health facts on the Overview page.
Research Ethics
| Resource | What it offers | Access |
|---|---|---|
| National Committee of Bioethics — National Committee of Bioethics (NCBE) | The national body for research ethics: regulations, local ethics committees and guidance | Free |
| Information for researchers — NCBE | The steps to ethics approval: portal registration, the research ethics course, proposal submission and progress reports | Free, registration |
| Standards and regulations — NCBE | The law and its implementing regulations, guidelines for research in epidemics and emergencies, informed consent and assent forms, and the ethics committee (IRB) registration form | Free |
| Law of Ethics of Research on Living Creatures (in Arabic) and its Implementing Regulations — NCBE | The law and regulations governing research on humans and animals in Saudi Arabia | Free |
Clinical Trials & Drug Safety Studies
These Saudi Food and Drug Authority documents are named without links; they are available on the authority's website.
| Resource | What it offers | Access |
|---|---|---|
| Regulations and Requirements for Conducting Clinical Trials on Drugs — Saudi Food and Drug Authority | Approval requirements for drug trials, including registration, submission and ethics committee forms | Named document |
| Guideline for Good Clinical Practice (GCP) E6(R2) — Saudi Food and Drug Authority | The Saudi good clinical practice requirements | Named document |
| Saudi Clinical Trials Registry (SCTR) — Saudi Food and Drug Authority | The national registry for clinical trials in Saudi Arabia, with user guides | Named only |
| Guideline on Good Pharmacovigilance Practices (GVP) — Saudi Food and Drug Authority | Drug safety monitoring, including post-authorisation safety studies | Named document |
| Framework on the Use of Real-World Data (RWD) and Real-World Evidence (RWE) to Support Effectiveness and Safety for Marketing Authorization of Medicinal Products — Saudi Food and Drug Authority | Expectations for real-world data quality and real-world evidence in regulatory decisions | Named document |
| Requirements for Formal Meeting between Drug Sector and Applicants — Saudi Food and Drug Authority | How to request scientific or regulatory advice meetings | Named document |
| Saudi National Institute of Health — Saudi National Institute of Health (Saudi NIH) | The national institute for health research, including translational research and clinical trials | Free |
Data Protection & Data Sharing
| Resource | What it offers | Access |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Data Protection Law — Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) | The law on processing personal data, including health data (English translation) | Free |
| Implementing Regulation of the Personal Data Protection Law — SDAIA | Detailed obligations for organisations that process personal data | Free |
| Regulation on Personal Data Transfer outside the Kingdom — SDAIA | Conditions for transferring personal data outside Saudi Arabia, for example to collaborators abroad | Free |
| Guide to the Saudi Personal Data Protection Law — SDAIA | A plain-language guide to the law | Free |
| Rules governing health research data exchange activity and definitions — Saudi Health Council | Rules for sharing data and biological samples from licensed studies for reuse | Free |
| Procedural regulations for the management of data related to research projects funded by Saudi NIH — Saudi NIH | Data management rules for projects funded by Saudi NIH | Free |
| Open Data Policy — Ministry of Health | How the ministry publishes health datasets | Free |
Data Sources & Data Access
| Resource | What it offers | Access |
|---|---|---|
| World Health Survey Saudi Arabia — Ministry of Health | A national survey with physical measurements and blood tests, run with GASTAT and WHO | Free |
| Health information surveys — Ministry of Health | Earlier national health surveys and the Global Adult Tobacco Survey | Free |
| Statistical Yearbook — Ministry of Health | Annual tables on facilities, workforce, services, disease and mortality | Free |
| Open Data Library — Ministry of Health | Datasets published by the ministry | Free |
| Saudi Cancer Registry annual reports — Saudi Health Council | Annual reports on cancer incidence | Free |
| National Health Information Center — Saudi Health Council | Health data standards and national e-health projects | Free |
| National Heart Center projects — Saudi Health Council | Projects including a national heart registry | Free |
| Annual reports — Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation | Transplant, organ donation and dialysis activity | Free |
| National Health Research and Studies Portal (Nahrsap) — Saudi Health Council | Requests for datasets from published studies, with ethics approval, a proposal and a data use agreement | On request |
| Saudi Genome Program — Vision 2030 | The national genomics program on inherited disease | Free |
| WHO data: Saudi Arabia — World Health Organization | Modelled national estimates, including life expectancy, causes of death and risk factors | Free |
| Noncommunicable disease surveillance: Saudi Arabia — World Health Organization | Survey reports and fact sheets on noncommunicable disease risk factors and tobacco | Free |
Research Funders & Research Bodies
| Resource | What it offers | Access |
|---|---|---|
| Grants — Saudi NIH | Saudi NIH funding programs and calls | Competitive calls |
| Health research priorities: clinical trials — Saudi NIH | A funding opportunity for clinical trials | Competitive call |
| Peer review rules of Saudi NIH grants — Saudi NIH | How applications to Saudi NIH are reviewed | Free |
| Funding programs — Research, Development and Innovation Authority (RDIA) | The national research grant and innovation grant programs | Competitive calls |
| Research grants regulation — RDIA | Rules for research grants funded by RDIA | Free |
| Researchers and innovators guidebook — RDIA | A guide to RDIA programs for researchers | Free |
| National priorities: researchers grants — RDIA SaudiMinds platform | Researcher grants under the national research priorities | Free, registration |
| Center for Health Research Studies — Saudi Health Council | The council's health research funding procedures and partnerships | Free |
| King Abdullah International Medical Research Center — Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs | Research programs, the Saudi Biobank and research training | Free |
| National Center for Evidence-Based Medicine — Saudi Health Council | National clinical practice guidelines | Free |
| King Salman Award for Disability Research — King Salman Center for Disability Research | An award for disability research | Competitive call |
| Real-World Evidence Fellowship Program — Saudi Food and Drug Authority with King Saud University | Training in real-world evidence and drug safety research | Named only |