SearchINNOVATION
Our culture of partnership with customers is driven by a core belief: continuously asking how we can improve and create greater value for those we serve.
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11,000+
Patent portfolio
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220+
New priority patent applications
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SAR 2.06 Bn.
R&D expenses (US$ 0.55 Bn.)
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20
Technology centers and service locations
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2,000+
R&D professionals (Including non-direct hire employees)
Innovation is central to how we address challenges and meet the needs of our customers. Through research, targeted investments, and external collaborations, we are driving improvements across our petrochemical, agri-nutrients, and specialties businesses – developing materials with recycled content, reducing emissions, and working with partners to minimize environmental impact along the value chain. Our approach revolves around three priorities: optimizing feedstocks to increase flexibility, competitiveness, and cost efficiencies in the context of supporting our sustainability commitments; advancing technologies through research and development to provide customized materials and solutions for our customers; and establishing an innovation ecosystem with external collaborators to bring new ideas and capabilities to life.
With 20 technology centers and service locations and a team of over 2,000 R&D professionals around the world, we are developing practical solutions that create lasting, measurable value for our customers and society. Additionally, at the end of 2024, SABIC’s patent portfolio encompassed over 11,000 granted patents and pending applications, with over 220 new priority applications filed during the year. Our focus on technology innovation – including emissions reduction, process improvements, and low-carbon applications – drive our research efforts.
PRODUCT SUSTAINABILITY PERFORMANCE
Understanding product sustainability performance is essential to identifying solutions that help reduce our customers’ carbon footprints and conserve resources. This growing demand for information is driven by customer needs for more sustainable products and credible carbon footprint data to support their purchasing decisions. By evaluating the sustainability of our portfolio, SABIC can align its operations, R&D, and product development with these expectations.
We use several tools to guide portfolio strategy and product positioning, including portfolio sustainability assessments, product carbon footprint (PCF) analysis, and product life cycle assessments (LCA). These tools operate at different levels to provide a detailed view of our sustainability performance.
TECHNOLOGY LICENSING
Our Licensing function continues to strive in alignment with SABIC's business strategy, leveraging know-how, technical capabilities, and innovative solutions in our licensing-out technology portfolio. We aim to maximize the value generation from our proprietary technologies by granting licenses to SABIC affiliates, strategic partners, and third parties. Licensing-in follows a rigorously sophisticated model to evaluate technical, economic, and contractual aspects, securing best-in-class global technologies to enrich our portfolio. In 2024, SABIC Licensing secured multiple technology licenses and service agreements to support growth ambitions, and as part of the SABIC Licensing-Out strategy, we have successfully licensed several SABIC technologies and provided support for ongoing projects globally.
COLLABORATING FOR INNOVATION
External collaborations are essential to technology development and delivery. By building an innovation ecosystem, SABIC gains new and unique competencies and fosters talent development, ensuring a steady flow of new ideas. Key projects benefit from the dynamism of these partnerships with reduced time to market and lower costs. We also emphasize strengthened partnerships with Saudi universities through knowledge-sharing initiatives that build their capabilities and drive groundbreaking ideas. Key innovation collaborations during 2024 included:
- Mega Green Accelerator with PepsiCo: In partnership with PepsiCo and AstroLabs, SABIC launched the Mega Green Accelerator to support Middle East and North Africa startups focused on solutions in food security and energy transition. From over 350 applicants, eight startups were selected for a six-month program featuring mentorship, training, networking, and access to investors.
- China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATARC): SABIC partnered with CATARC to develop technical standards and solutions for electrification in China’s automotive industry. The collaboration will also explore closed-loop recycling and design-for-recycle innovations.
Synergies with Saudi Aramco
Saudi Aramco and SABIC are collaborating across the value chain to merge their expertise in extraction, efficient chemical and plastic manufacturing, advanced material and application development, and recycling initiatives. Together, we drive innovation in chemical production, streamline processes, and develop advanced catalyst systems aimed at enhancing efficiency and minimizing waste.
The two companies are also engaged in several joint initiatives targeting decarbonization, technology deployment, venturing, liquid-to-chemicals conversion, and non-metallic solutions, among others. These projects are focused on developing solutions for high-pressure applications in oil and gas pipelines, electric vehicles, and solar panels. Other initiatives include creating polymers through advanced and mechanical recycling methods, and, together with SABIC Agri-Nutrients Company, developing lower-carbon products and conducting assessments for low-carbon ammonia and hydrogen production.
Read more about our collaborations and innovations .
Disclaimer: This abridged interactive version of the SABIC Integrated Annual Report 2024 is based on the original PDF report published on this website. In case of any discrepancy, the original PDF report will prevail.