Saudi Museums Commission, Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation to Deepen Museum Collaboration
Central to this initiative is the development of a loan index, outlining a selection of artworks and artifacts from the SPK's various Berlin-based museums to be shared with the Museums Commission over a five-year period. This loan program forms part of the broader executive program signed by both parties.
The agreement outlines key areas of cooperation, including joint exhibitions in art and archaeology, long-term loans, strategic cultural projects, and capacity building through training and residencies. Two dedicated training programs have been agreed upon as part of this collaboration.
One of the flagship initiatives, Museums in Motion, will bring together up to 80 cultural and museum professionals from both countries over five years through four interdisciplinary training sessions.
Participants will engage in joint learning activities in both countries, fostering sustained dialogue, professional exchange, deeper cross-cultural understanding, and long-term institutional partnerships.
In a parallel initiative with the Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart (National Gallery of Contemporary Art) in Berlin, a professional secondment program will support talent development in the museum field. Over the next five years, experts from Hamburger Bahnhof will contribute to training and mentorship, fostering the exchange of knowledge and best practices in museum management and curation.
This executive program reflects the Kingdom's commitment to strengthening international cultural dialogue and advancing professional exchange in the global museum community.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
From Tuwaiq to Qasioun: building a bright future with hearts before hands
It has been nearly 15 years since my last trip to Damascus as chairman of the Saudi-Syrian Businessmen Council. Since then, bilateral business and investment activities have been suspended due to the geopolitical situation. Last week, it was a delight to witness the tremendous success of the first investment forum between the two countries, held under the new Syrian leadership and its government. Led by Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih on the Saudi side, more than 20 government agencies and more than 100 private sector companies from Saudi Arabia participated in the forum. These represented various sectors, including energy, infrastructure, financial services, healthcare, agriculture, and communications and information technology. Approximately 47 agreements worth SR24 billion ($6.4 billion) were signed, covering a wide range of fields, including energy, real estate, finance, logistics, healthcare, and tourism. In his speech, Al-Falih emphasized that the forum reflects the belief that the private sector is a key partner in achieving shared investment goals between the two countries. He encouraged Saudi and international investors to explore opportunities in the Syrian Arab Republic and contribute to its strategic projects, thereby fostering mutual benefits across vital sectors. It is worth noting that the timing of the forum was ideal, especially following the lifting of global sanctions on Syria and the release of the revised investment law. The updated law aims to enhance the investment climate by offering investors more guarantees and incentives, streamlining procedures, and improving transparency. One of the signed agreements was between the Saudi Tadawul Group and the Damascus Securities Exchange, aiming to enhance cooperation in financial technologies, dual listings, data exchange, and the creation of investment funds to boost investment in Syria. Subject to regulatory approval, we at BMG plan to reopen our offices in Damascus, establish a country fund, take family businesses public, and offer advisory services for dual listings between the two exchanges. The new chairman of the Saudi-Syrian Businessmen Council, Mohammed Abu Nayan, who is also the chairman of ACWA Power, said during the forum that Syria and Saudi Arabia are one nation, and that 'we came to Damascus as long-term partners, not just traders. We, as the private sector, are committed to investing in Syria, and we have already begun.' With the direct blessing and endorsement of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, the path to Syria's economic prosperity has already been laid. Between the iconic Mount Tuwaiq in Riyadh and Mount Qasioun in Damascus, a bright future will be built — by hearts before hands. • Basil M.K. Al-Ghalayini is chairman and CEO of BMG Financial Group.
Arab News
3 hours ago
- Arab News
Europe can build its own social media
When I built my first website back in 1998, the internet felt expansive. You could publish something in Berlin and someone in Boston or Belgrade might stumble on it within seconds. But today, as a small number of tech monopolies hoover up attention and strangle innovation, that spirit of connection has been lost. Through their powerful platforms, social media giants control a large share of the digital world's underlying architecture. Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, X and others operate as walled gardens and their algorithms discourage users from leaving by deprioritizing posts with outgoing links. People end up stuck on one platform, scrolling mindlessly — an outcome diametrically opposed to the early vision of the internet as a web of interlinked sites and communities. Europe should recognize this for what it is: a systemic dependency that threatens the continent's digital sovereignty. Just as the EU seeks to reduce its reliance on external providers for semiconductors, cloud computing and artificial intelligence, it must do the same for social media. The dominant platforms extract value from European users by capturing their attention and selling their data, while paying little in taxes and skirting regulations. Their proprietary infrastructure increasingly shapes our lives, from the news we see to the way we speak online. While European policymakers have long expressed concern about the concentration of corporate power among the big social media companies, and their outsize influence on society and politics, last year's US presidential election should be sounding alarm bells across the continent. Tech billionaire Elon Musk weaponized X, the platform formerly known as Twitter that he acquired in 2022, to help Donald Trump win reelection by promoting content favorable to him. He has since threatened to interfere in European elections. One solution is to invest in EU-based alternatives. But time and again, policymakers trot out the same excuse that there are no viable options. The European Commission's new International Digital Strategy is likewise skeptical that the bloc can wean itself off Big Tech, instead calling for collaboration with the US to address its dependency. But this stance ignores the emergence in recent years of social media sites built on decentralized, open protocols. These new platforms are fundamentally different, in principle and design, from American behemoths such as Instagram and X. They restore control to users, reduce gatekeeping and encourage innovation. Open protocols are poised to upend the status quo, creating a more democratic digital world. Sebastian Vogelsang Perhaps the best example is the AT Protocol, which serves as the foundation for Bluesky, a fast-growing platform that has amassed almost 36 million users. Designed for interoperability, the AT Protocol allows users to own their data and control the algorithms that curate their feeds. Anyone can develop apps on the decentralized system — which means that no single company can dominate — and users can easily move between platforms, taking their followers and content with them. That means they never have to start over from scratch. This dedication to pluralism helps break Big Tech's monopoly power over social media, which has stifled European innovation for decades. Europe-based firms have already used the AT Protocol to create platforms such as SkyFeed and Graysky. Others are trying to protect and build out this social ecosystem free from Big Tech's grip. The Free Our Feeds campaign is working to ensure that the underlying infrastructure continues to be governed in the public interest. Eurosky is a new pro bono effort by a group of European technologists, including myself, to create tools, such as built-in content moderation aligned with EU laws, and infrastructure on the AT Protocol that help European developers build and scale platforms that can rival the social media giants. Open protocols are not some utopian project. They are poised to upend the status quo of social media, creating a more democratic digital world. That is why European policymakers should designate these social networking frameworks as critical infrastructure and invest in developing them. Social media should be at the heart of Europe's digital sovereignty agenda. Building platforms in Europe that rely on an open-source framework would help safeguard democratic discourse from foreign manipulation, create economic value for the continent and ensure European social media users control the algorithms that shape what they see. Countries outside the EU could also benefit from these efforts to challenge Big Tech's dominance. The online world has gone astray, with America's tech sector largely calling the shots on how it is developed and used. Europe can help return the internet to its roots by fostering a social media ecosystem built for pluralism, not polarization, but it needs political leaders who are willing to fight for a new, truly social digital infrastructure.
Argaam
6 hours ago
- Argaam
Signworld issues prospectus to float 1.5M shares on Nomu
National Signage Industrial Co. (Signworld) issued today, July 27, the prospectus to float 1.5 million shares, or 20% of capital, on the Nomu -Parallel Market. The company will offer 1.5 million shares, equal to 25% of pre-offering and 20% of post-offering capital, to qualified investors. For More IPOs The share sale will run from Aug. 17-24. The Capital Market Authority (CMA) approved, in March, the company's application for direct listing on Nomu. Signworld's core business involves the design, manufacturing, and assembly of electronic panels and displays for various applications, in addition to installation and maintenance services. It operates through three branches. Company Profile Company National Signage Industrial Co. (Signworld) Core Activities Manufacturing and sale of feed products Market Nomu-Parallel Market Pre-IPO Capital SAR 60mln Number of Shares 6 mln Post-IPO Capital SAR 75 mln New Number of Shares 7.5 mln Nominal Value SAR 10 a share IPO Summary Issue Percentage 20% of post-IPO capital, 25% of pre-IPO capital Offered Shares SAR 1.5 mln IPO Minimum Limit 10 shares IPO Maximum Limit 374,990 shares Offer Period Aug. 17-24, 2025 Final Allocation Aug. 27, 2025 Surplus Refund (If any) Aug. 31, 2025 Company Shareholders Shareholders Before IPO After IPO Number of Shares (mln) Ownership (%) Number of Shares (mln) Ownership (%) Al Mohandes Holding Group 6.00 100.00 % 6.00 80% Qualified investors -- -- 1.50 20% Total 6.00 100 % 7.50 100%
