JEDDAH: The King Abdul Aziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba) is launching an Olympiad to identify the next generation of Saudi scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs.
According to Mawhiba, the National Olympiad for Scientific Creativity “Ibdaa 2021” seeks to create a competitive and creative scientific environment that stimulates the minds of pre-college level scientific researchers. It also prepares them for competition and entry into the global knowledge market.
More than 51,293 students from 47 educational departments submitted their research projects through the electronic platform of the Olympiad. Of the total, the 300 best projects from across the Kingdom will be selected for the finals.
A committee of five distinguished Saudi researchers will make sure the projects are up to international standards and do not violate scientific research ethics. The committee is supported by a jury of 50 arbitrators, mostly doctorate and master’s degree holders from universities in the Kingdom.
The Olympiad will include exhibitions and training workshops for students. The workshops have been designed to introduce students to the arbitration criteria, help enhance their communication skills and the skills needed to submit scientific projects.
Once the projects are selected for the event, individual interviews will be conducted to assess the students behind the projects. The top 150 projects in 22 scientific fields will then move to the next stage of Ibdaa 2021, the final qualification exhibition to be held in Riyadh on Feb. 10 to 13.
In the last stage, students will be shortlisted to represent the Kingdom at the International Science and Engineering Fair, which will be held in the US in May 2021.
Mawhiba is one of the most renowned institutions for the gifted in the world, with more than 161,000 students having benefited from its services. In the last 10 years, Mawhiba has achieved unprecedented international successes, with its students winning 396 international prizes in global competitions. Many countries have later benefited from the experiences of Mawhiba students.
