What is the science behind our body’s biological clock? What role does it play in food, sleep, stress, how we age and even how we rejuvenate? Interested individuals can find out the answers to these questions and more at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology’s (KAUST) annual festival of science, the Winter Enrichment Program (WEP), running from Jan. 13-24.
Online audiences in the Kingdom and internationally have the opportunity to explore the topic of time by tuning into all of the keynote lectures, in addition to in-depth live interviews on Facebook and YouTube.
“Time is perhaps the most universal and unifying aspect of life. The inspiration for this year’s festival came from the idea of proposing reflection on how different aspects of what we measure or perceive as time impacts people and how science and culture can help to improve quality of life,” said Chair of the Winter Enrichment Program Dr. Valerio Orlando, professor of bioscience at KAUST.
“Visitors can also explore what we call consciousness, the basis of intelligence and representation of reality, the fundamental questions regarding the universe and those global values that we learn from history that make humanity one thing.”
The festival will play host to 12 keynote lectures by international experts on sleep, consciousness, nutrition, the universe, dreams, society and history, including a Nobel laureate, a McLaren Formula 1 racing driver as well as writers, artists, film makers, curators and creators. Keynote lectures are complemented by workshops, exhibitions, virtual reality and immersive displays.
Speakers at the KAUST festival of science include: Dr. Michael Young, Nobel laureate in physiology or medicine; Lando Norris, Formula 1 Driver, McLaren; Jonathan Neale, chief operating officer, McLaren; Dava Sobel, best-selling author; Dr. Priyamvada Natarajan, professor in the departments of astronomy and physics at Yale University; Dr. John Ellis, professor of theoretical physics, King’s College London; Dr. Paolo Sassone-Corsi, director of the Center for Epigenetics and Metabolism, University of California; Dr. Juan Carlos Belmonte, director of the Development and Stem Cells Biology Laboratories, Salk Institute; Dr. Giulio Tononi, professor and director of the Wisconsin Institute for Sleep and Consciousness; Dr. Karen Ashe, director of the N. Bud Grossman Center for Memory Research; Dr. David Rooney, former curator of timekeeping at the Royal Observatory Greenwich; and Noëmi Daucé, chief curator at Louvre Abu Dhabi in-charge of archaeology.
“This exciting festival of expansive thinking, coordinated, programmed and produced by our university, will bring distinguished keynote speakers, thought leaders, guests, conversations, ideas, inspiration and new knowledge to our students, our faculty and many others throughout Saudi Arabia and internationally,” said Dr. Tony Chan, president of KAUST.
KAUST time-themed festival of science
KAUST time-themed festival of science
Kuwait Fund for Development: Six decades of humanitarian and developmental impact across globe
On Dec. 31, the Kuwait Fund for Development marks the anniversary of its establishment, opening a new chapter of success and ambition as one of the most prominent pioneers of development on both regional and global levels. Founded in 1961, the fund became the first and oldest development institution to operate in Arab countries and other developing nations.
Today, after more than six decades of continuous work, the Kuwait Fund for Development remains steadfast in its mission and has never ceased its efforts to support development causes in developing countries. As it celebrates its 64th anniversary, the fund has drawn a national portrait under the theme “Partners in Development,” reflected through its projects spread across the globe, all of which aim to build brighter and more sustainable future.
An external development arm
The establishment of the Kuwait Fund for Development embodied a wise and visionary decision by the leadership of Kuwait at the time. Kuwait was the only developing country that chose to share the challenges of development with other developing nations, cooperating with them through the provision of concessional loans, grants, financial assistance, and technical support tailored to their development priorities.
Since its inception, the Kuwait Fund for Development has served as Kuwait’s external development arm, sparing no effort in supporting development causes and extending assistance to developing countries worldwide.
Vision and early beginnings
In the early 1960s, the late Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, then head of the financial department, proposed the idea of establishing a development entity that would serve Kuwait’s foreign policy and assist Arab and other developing countries in achieving development across various sectors. The idea received strong support from the late Amir Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, as it aligned with Kuwait’s vision at the time to build a modern state.
Consequently, an Amiri decree was issued on Dec. 31, 1961, establishing the Kuwait Fund for Development with an initial capital of 50 million Kuwaiti dinars ($162.6 million).
Global reach and development impact
The fund’s activities have extended to all corners of the world, contributing to the financing of projects in 106 countries, including 16 Arab countries, 41 African countries, 19 in East and South Asia and the Pacific, 17 in Central Asia and Europe, and 12 in Latin America and the Caribbean.
This support was delivered through 1,037 concessional loans provided to the governments of these countries, with a total value of approximately 7 billion Kuwaiti dinars. In addition, the fund has provided grants and technical assistance to support a wide range of development services, helping beneficiary countries implement their development programs. A total of 420 grants and technical assistance operations were extended, amounting to approximately 401 million Kuwaiti dinars.
Loan agreements
During the past year, the Kuwait Fund for Development signed several loan agreements supporting development across different regions of the world. Among these were two loan agreements with the government of Bahrain. The first loan, valued at 31.25 million Kuwaiti dinars, contributed to financing the Electricity Transmission Networks Development Project. The second loan, valued at 10 million Kuwaiti dinars, supported the Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah Highway Development Project (Phase II).
On the sidelines of the World Bank Group meetings held in Washington, D.C., the fund has also signed a 4 million Kuwaiti dinar-worth loan agreement with Saint Lucia to help finance the Sir Julian R. Hunte Highway Project, as well as another 4 million Kuwaiti dinar-worth loan agreement with Belize to support the George Price Highway Project.
Supporting and assisting refugees
The Kuwait Fund for Development’s contributions to humanitarian action stand out at both regional and international levels. Since its establishment, the fund has represented a unique model in supporting and assisting refugees in countries affected by disasters, conflicts, and wars, in line with Kuwait’s moderate and balanced policy.
These efforts have helped strengthen Kuwait’s relations with Arab and international partners. The fund has played a significant role in the reconstruction of Lebanon and Iraq following periods of crisis, and its assistance to the Palestinian people has never ceased.
International Participation
Over the past year, the Kuwait Fund for Development recorded notable participations in major international forums. These included taking part in the 2025 annual meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C., with a delegation headed by the fund’s Acting Director General Walid Shamlan Al-Bahar. The fund also took part in the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, held in Tokyo, Japan.
Additional international engagements included participation in the Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries, held in Awaza, Turkmenistan, and the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, organized by the UN in Seville, Spain.
