The Origin and Beginning
Fakieh Research & Development Centre is one of the earliest scientific foundations in the field of scientific research to be established by the private sector in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It was conceived 20 years before its establishment by the founder, Sheikh Abdul Rahman bin Abdul Qadir Fakieh.
At first it was necessary for him, as a businessman running a number of entrepreneurial projects and seeking advice from specialized consultants, to request advice regarding some of his projects in the field of agriculture and trade from faculty members at Saudi universities in the corresponding areas of expertise, and to resort to scientific centres to conduct the studies required by his leading investment projects, such as Fakieh Poultry Farms, the largest individual and integrated foundation to produce poultry, eggs and feed in the world. Sheikh Abdul Rahman Fakieh was the first to enter the modern level of the poultry industry in the kingdom in 1383H. Later he established the Al Tazaj restaurant chain, which offers fresh roast chicken meals. It was the first fast food restaurant chain in the world and the latest revolution in the world of fast food.
Because of his willingness to achieve integration in the areas of the Fakieh Poultry Farms’ investment, he established the updated projects office in late 1412H, which aims to study the investment opportunities that the country needs and bring the benefits to the investors. The founder succeeded in creating several tourist sites in Jeddah Corniche, which cost no less than 500 million riyals, in order to contribute to providing the citizens with pleasant attractions other than outside tourism. The founder increased his dependency on research centers, although he held several positions serving his local community during that period. He is the Chairman and Managing Director of the Makkah Company for Reconstruction and Development, the idea of which is embodied in gathering owners of property smallholdings as founders to create integrated residential and commercial compounds around the Holy Mosque. That idea won the approval and the support of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques – may Allah protect him – as a constructive and unprecedented idea in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and was emulated by many companies within and outside Saudi Arabia.
The founder is also the leader of the development movement in the central area of Makkah. Additionally, he has held several public positions, including the chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Makkah and membership of the Makkah regional council. Currently he is the chairman of Makkah Endowment in addition to having membership of some national companies’ and charity organization boards’ management.
As national honesty required a scientific study of the issues and the local problems to put the necessary information in the service of the decision-makers, it became necessary for the idea crystallized by the founder and its implementation to meet the requirements of research and development demanded by his public duties and his private projects. Then the founder established the Fakieh Center for Research and Development, beside other research centres in the kingdom, to contribute to the development of scientific research, in an attempt to provide scientific solutions for the community, solve problems and emphasize the general objectives of the development plans that encourage the role of the private sector in adopting research and development policies.
The centre took its first steps in mid-1416H, specifically on 13/7/1416, temporarily under the umbrella of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Makkah until it was registered as an independent research foundation with license No. 217 issued on 20/3/1417. The noble message of this centre is shown very clearly in the words of Sheikh Abdul Rahman Bin Abdul Qadir Fakieh: “the charity is not about feeding poor people or housing, nor is it about medical treatment only, but it is about an idea or scientific research that help citizens avoid the troubles they may face in their lives and offers them ways to fulfill their life’s needs, such as water or electricity or finding it at a low cost. Therefore, the benefits will be ongoing charity. Generally, the benefits will serve millions of people and from this fact the idea of this centre emerged” (Sheikh Abdul Rahman Abdul Qadir Fakieh, the founder of the centre).
Thus, the founder explains – in short – the noble message that led to the establishment of this scientific edifice in reality to emphasize the importance of charity work. It is not confined to a narrow frame that would tie the helping hands from reaching out to cover many areas of our lives. In addition, the founder confirms that the support of philanthropists for institutes and scientific centres is an inherent Islamic approach that originated in our country and is represented in the endowments system that was known for its roles in forming the Islamic civilization.
The purpose the centre seeks to achieve is crystallized as an active contribution to the development of the performance of the public and private sectors in order to create a civilized environment suitable for the prosperity of the society and the economy. To achieve this purpose, scientific research is conducted by preparation, coordination, support or development. Also, the centre ensures that the research carried out is realistic and applicable according to technical standards.
The founder was keen to supervise the centre personally through a supervisory committee and an advisory body that meets weekly and he allocates part of his valuable time to discussing the proposed projects and the future directions of the centre. He gives his views and suggestions to enrich the scientific discussion and to convert the theoretical ideas into practical reality.
The centre has developed a slogan reflecting the good goal of charity that it seeks to achieve: “Let’s set an example in the development of scientific research to serve the community and the holy places.”
In the practical application of this slogan, the centre aims to achieve excellence through the following:
• providing an example of the potential contribution of the private sector to research in the development and improvement field.
• directing research and development to serve development and socio-economic needs
• being careful to carry out feasibility studies to achieve the development goals
• serving two main objectives to complement one another: development and investment
• following criteria for the selection of research projects in the utilization of research and not research per se
• taking an applied direction aimed to solve our problems at the local and national levels.