The King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba), in strategic partnership with the Ministry of Education, concluded today its preparatory program for international participation.

The program aims to equip winners of “The National Olympiad for Scientific Creativity (Ibdaa) 2025” to compete at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF 2025) in the United States next May, and the Taipei International Science Fair (TISF) in Taiwan.

Held from February 24th to 26th at the Mishkat Interactive Center in King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy in Riyadh, the program welcomed 50 gifted students — 19 male and 31 female — from 15 educational directorates.

Throughout the three-day program, mentors reviewed student projects and outlined individual development plans to enhance them before submission deadlines.

Participants also attended public speaking workshops, project presentation sessions, and received orientation on international judging criteria. Additionally, the Scientific Ethics Committee reviewed compliance forms related to ethical standards in project experimentation.

Mawhiba emphasized that the seeds sown in past seasons have blossomed into a vibrant culture of research and innovation in schools, igniting students’ scientific passion and propelling Saudi Arabia to achieve remarkable global recognition.

Notably, the number of students participating in this year’s National Olympiad rose by 38%, reaching 291,000 compared to 210,000 last year, with tens of thousands of projects submitted across 22 scientific fields.