Saudi Aramco and Siemens Saudi Arabia Launch "Discovery Box" Initiative

Dhahran, January 23, 2010 - Saudi Aramco and Siemens Saudi Arabia signed a memorandum of understanding on the “Discovery Box” program, a joint initiative to distribute science kits to Saudi school children — aged three to seven— to enhance their creative thinking, research and exploration skills. The kits contain a variety of tools and materials required to easily and safely conduct age-appropriate, scientific experiments in electricity, energy, the environment and health.

The memorandum of understanding was signed by Khaled A. Al-Buraik, Saudi Aramco Affairs vice president and Joerg Drescher, vice president of Corporate Communications at Siemens.

In its pilot stage, the program will target 400 students in the Eastern Province, in addition to 30 teachers who will enroll in a training course. Overall, the initiative targets 50,000 students in early school grades, through the distribution of 3,500 scientific kits to a number of schools throughout the Kingdom, in coordination with the Ministry of Education.

“This initiative seeks to enhance the educational environment in terms of teaching science and technology and developing a passion for research and exploration among school children,” said Al-Buraik. “Through this initiative and cooperation with the concerned agencies in the Kingdom, we aim to raise a generation of children and youth who are interested in science, knowledge and innovation.”

“We at Siemens Saudi Arabia are very pleased to team up with Saudi Aramco on this initiative,” said Drescher. “This project has been applied in many countries, such as Austria, Ireland, Brazil, Korea, China, Egypt and others. However, the Saudi initiative is the largest of its kind in the world, with 3,500 kits to be distributed to government schools. This demonstrates both companies’ commitment to local communities in the Kingdom. We also believe the “Discovery Box” initiative will help support the education process and bring science fundamentals closer to children in the Kingdom. It is our duty as a Saudi company to invest in the future of the next generation.”