JEDDAH: An initiative to encourage innovators and entrepreneurs and to discover creative talents begins at the Makkah Cultural Forum on Jan. 7.
The forum, “How to be an example,” is run under the cooperation of King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST) in the innovation field, and Badir, the program of King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), in the field of technology business leadership.
Participants will be trained and prepared to turn ideas in telecommunication and information technology into pioneering projects and real products.
Activities will include filling in the admission forms, trading-off between participants and communication with candidates, implementing an intensive training program to get to know the innovation and entrepreneurship bases and achieve the ideas’ commercial value, and embracing the winning projects through the partners of the initiative’s success by exposing projects in the final exposition accompanying the Makkah forum, during which the committee will announce the winners’ names.
The initiative aims to launch smart innovations and non-traditional projects to benefit Makkah and the people of Makkah. The initiative also provides instructions and support for the nominated innovations (innovative ideas and pioneering projects) to turn them into products and services of high social value. It will connect and support nominees to boost opportunities and ensure continuity and sustainability.
The forum’s organizers said that participants should be residents of Makkah, with projects focusing on serving the local community, and original and innovative ideas of clear benefit and direct social or financial impact. The priority will be for ideas with commercial value.
Makkah forum to boost innovation, leadership
Makkah forum to boost innovation, leadership
Saudi inventor wins two gold medals at Mideast International Invention Fair
- Khudry was recognized for inventing a device designed to filter materials and recycle used liquids
- The innovation aims to improve efficiency in liquid purification and reuse
RIYADH: Saudi inventor Duaa Nizar Khudry won two gold medals at the 16th International Invention Fair in the Middle East (IIFME), held in Kuwait from February 8 to 11, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
Khudry was recognized for inventing a device designed to filter materials and recycle used liquids, an innovation aimed at improving efficiency in liquid purification and reuse. The technology has potential applications in environmental protection, industrial processing, and water conservation, particularly in regions where sustainable resource management is critical.
A member of the Mawhiba Alumni Program, Khudry represented Saudi Arabia with the support and nomination of the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba), which was participating in the fair for the third time.
She received her first gold medal from the fair’s organizers and was also awarded the IFIA Best Invention Award by the International Federation of Inventors’ Associations, recognizing her innovation as one of the most outstanding entries in the exhibition.
The IIFME, organized annually by the Kuwait Science Club since its launch in 2007, is regarded as one of the region’s largest specialized invention exhibitions and a major platform for inventors to present their work to international audiences.
As a student, Khudry won first place nationwide at the National Olympiad for Scientific Creativity (Ibdaa) in 2013 for the same recycling device, competing against tens of thousands of students across the Kingdom. She later obtained an official patent for the invention in 2024, strengthening its scientific and commercial potential.
She studied chemistry and is currently pursuing graduate studies in materials science and engineering under the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Program. Her research focuses on environmental sustainability, advanced materials, and liquid purification technologies.
