Mawhiba launches training program for international participation in preparation for ISEF 2026
In a strategic move aimed at enhancing Saudi Arabia's presence on the global innovation map, the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba), in strategic partnership with the Ministry of Education, launched the "Preparation Program for International Participation." The program aims to prepare and qualify a select group of talented students who won top prizes at the National Olympiad for Scientific Creativity "Ibdaa 2026" to represent the Kingdom in major upcoming international scientific competitions.
The training camp has begun at the Mishkat Center
The Mishkat Interactive Center at the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy in Riyadh is hosting the program, which runs until February 14. This year's program includes 66 young innovators (28 male and 38 female students) who are undergoing intensive training supervised by a select group of experts and judges. During this period, mentors are meticulously reviewing the scientific projects and developing individualized development plans for each project, ensuring enhanced research quality and increased readiness to compete before international judges.
Roadmap to Globalization: ISEF and ITEX
This program is the sixth and final stage in the National Olympiad for Scientific Creativity journey, and it serves as the primary gateway for nominating projects that will represent the Kingdom at prestigious international events, most notably:
1. The Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF 2026) in the United States, the world's largest science competition for public school students.
2. The International Invention, Innovation & Technology Exhibition (ITEX 2026) in Malaysia.
3. The Taiwan International Science Fair (TAISF 2027) .
The workshops include intensive training in presentation and public speaking skills, understanding international judging mechanisms, and a thorough review by the Scientific Ethics Committee to ensure that projects comply with global ethical standards for conducting experiments.
Saudi leadership and Guinness World Records
This step comes as a continuation of the series of achievements attained by Mawhiba and the Kingdom's students in recent years, as the Kingdom has solidified its position as a rising scientific power by ranking second globally in the number of awards at the ISEF exhibition, after the United States. This excellence reflects the success of the national strategy in investing in human capital, in line with the objectives of the Kingdom's Vision 2030.
In a related development, Mawhiba achieved a historic milestone by entering the Guinness World Records with its "Ibdaa 2026" competition, the largest innovation solutions competition in the world. This edition witnessed unprecedented participation, with over 357,000 students from across the Kingdom registering, representing a 22.7% increase over the previous year. This resulted in the submission of more than 34,000 scientific projects, reflecting the growing passion for science and innovation among the Kingdom's rising generation.
