Princess Sara, wife of Saudi crown prince, launches new science and technology initiative

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The new center, the name of which translates to “my knowledge” in Arabic, will be a fully accessible Science Discovery and Innovation Center. (SPA)
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The ilmi center will be located at Mohammed bin Salman Nonprofit City in Riyadh and set to open in 2025. (SPA)
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Updated 21 May 2023
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Princess Sara, wife of Saudi crown prince, launches new science and technology initiative

  • The center will allow youth to best connect with STREAM subjects like science, technology, reading, engineering, arts, and mathematics

RIYADH: A new center for science and technology called “ilmi” will be launched in Saudi Arabia to encourage scientific curiosity among youth in the kingdom as well as develop their skills, Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday. 
The center created by Princess Sara bint Mashhour bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud will allow youth to best connect with STREAM subjects like science, technology, reading, engineering, arts, and mathematics. 
“ilmi will be a beacon of creativity, learning and accessibility,” said Princess Sara, the wife of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as quoted by SPA. 
The new center, the name of which translates to “my knowledge” in Arabic, will be a fully accessible Science Discovery and Innovation Center. 
The ilmi center will be located at Mohammed bin Salman Nonprofit City in Riyadh and set to open in 2025. It spans 27,000 square meters and reflects the city’s goals to embody creativity and sustainability through integration in its natural surroundings and extensive landscaping, and to make use of natural light.
The project aims to inspire and empower young people across Saudi Arabia to explore and create, as well as to tackle challenges hands-on, SPA said, adding ilmi’s core is a unique approach that seeks to project a detailed, qualitative picture of how young people across Saudi Arabia best connect with STREAM subjects. 
Princess Sara said ilmi “will offer all Saudi Arabia’s young and lifelong learners the ability to realize their potential, further drive advances in the Kingdom, and help shape the future. Together, I hope that we will all create ilmi, and inspire and support our next generation.”
The project is a philanthropic, non-government initiative incubated and supported by the Mohammed bin Salman Foundation (Misk) as one of its subsidiaries, and will operate in partnership with Mohammed bin Salman Nonprofit City.
The center will host planned permanent exhibitions that will be based around three core themes: Our World, Our Selves, and Our Inventions. In addition, it will focus on issues including space, ecosystems and AI. 
The center will also host a variety of installations, events, talks, performances and learning partner programs designed to build a new STREAM community in Saudi Arabia.
ilmi will offer an integrated digital platform combined with a series of pop-up learning experiences across Saudi Arabia. These will start to go live this summer, and aim to get youth, parents, families and friends of all ages and abilities excited and engaged in STREAM before ilmi’s physical home opens.
Also launching soon will be ilmi’s online offering, which will feature a series of exciting, gamified design challenges that explore key STREAM concepts, connect them to real life, and invite participants to come up with creative responses as part of a competition. 
To support this initiative, ilmi will also hold a series of live activations that will explore the STREAM content behind each digital challenge and encourage families and friends to work together to create and build solutions live.


Saudi foreign ministry welcomes second phase of Gaza peace plan, formation of transitional committee

Updated 16 January 2026
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Saudi foreign ministry welcomes second phase of Gaza peace plan, formation of transitional committee

  • Ministry also thanked US President Donald Trump for his leadership and efforts to end the war in Gaza

RIYADH: The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday welcomed the announcement of the second phase of a comprehensive peace plan for Gaza, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The ministry said it also welcomed the formation of the Palestinian National Committee for the Administration of the Gaza Strip as a temporary transitional body, established under UN Security Council Resolution 2803, which met in Cairo on Friday.

In a statement, the ministry also thanked US President Donald Trump, who declared the formation of the Gaza “board of peace,” for his leadership and efforts to end the war in Gaza.

It highlighted his commitment to the withdrawal of Israeli forces, the prevention of any annexation of parts of the West Bank, and efforts to advance sustainable peace in the region.

The ministry commended the role of mediators Qatar, Egypt and Turkiye, stressing the importance of international and regional cooperation in supporting the peace process.

It underlined the need to support the work of the temporary Palestinian National Committee in managing the daily affairs of Gaza’s residents, while preserving the institutional and geographical link between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, ensuring Gaza’s unity and rejecting any attempts to divide it.

The statement also called for consolidating the ceasefire, halting violations, ensuring the unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid, and accelerating early recovery and reconstruction efforts across Gaza.

It said these steps were essential to enabling the Palestinian National Authority to resume its responsibilities in the Gaza Strip, leading to an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory in Gaza and the West Bank and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in line with UN resolutions, the Arab Peace Initiative and the two-state solution.