Oman is set to complete the first phase of the Innovation Complex, coming up on a 540,000-sq-m area near the Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) in Al Khoudh district of the sultanate, in 2017, said a report.

The seven-storey building will be constructed to the most advanced international standards which will make it a leading project for scientific innovation, reported Oman Observer, citing a top official.

The Innovation Complex, Muscat, will cover four research fields: environment and water, renewable energy, biotechnology and food security and heath in accordance with the national strategy for scientific research, remarked Dr Abdulbaqi bin Ali Al Khabouri, the director of Science Parks at The Research Council (TRC).

The project, which will be constructed in three phases in 10 years’ time, aims to place the sultanate on the world map of scientific advancement and accelerate the march of positive change, stated Al Khabouri.

Work on the second phase will start in 2018, the report added.