Every effort will be made to build Saudi Arabia into a knowledge-based society, Dr. Abdullah Al-Obaid, Minister of Education said at the awards ceremony for The 1st Saudi Innovation Exhibition 2008 (Ibtikhar) that came to a close in Riyadh on Thursday. Dr. Obaid said Saudi Arabia can provide a bright future for inventors and other creative types, as King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, has expressed his keenness to see the country develop into a creative society. “We will work together to achieve King Abdullah's vision and his goals.” Princess Adila Bint Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz also attended the awards ceremony. She said a series of activities are taking place in Saudi Arabia in areas of culture, creativity and education, which reflect the keenness of King Abdullah to create a knowledge-based society in the country. She said the Janadriya Heritage and Culture Folklore Festival is ongoing, the Riyadh International Book Fair has just concluded, an awards ceremony for translation prizes was organized and “today (Wednesday) we gathered at the 1st Saudi Innovation Exhibition 2008 to honor young Saudi inventors.” A total of 16 inventors in different age categories received cash prizes. Muhammad Al-Hamed and Muhammad Al-Rakhyan won first prizes of SR70,000 each for innovating a software application program “Swooj.” The duo won the prize for 19-25 age category. Adnan Al-Harbi, participating in the same age group, received an equal amount for developing a device to protect electric transformers against fire. Khalid Al-Gaseer, from the 13-to-15 age group, was the youngest to receive SR30,000 as third prize for creating “Intelligent Traffic Light” designed to reduce road accidents. Jehad Al-Faleh, from the 16-19 age category, won second prize for designing an “intelligent coin” for use in recreation centers. He received a pay check of SR40,000. Twelve other inventors in different age categories, both boys and girls, received consolation prizes of SR3,000 each. There were around 62 participants in the exhibition that showcased unique inventions, devices and creations, mostly by Saudis. Dr. Mansour Al-Ghamdi, a research scholar at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) said such events will encourage young Saudis to engage in scientific research and to create a knowledge-based society. He said Ibtikhar was important as a way to expose local talent and reward them accordingly. “All inventions and devices presented by young Saudis have entirely new ideas aimed at benefiting Saudi society's daily needs,” he said. Currently, he said, there is no culture in Saudi Arabia to utilize young talent. But he said the days are not far off when young Saudi inventors will receive support from the business community in the Kingdom for mass production of locally invented devices. Al-Ghamdi said the duration for getting the invention patented at KACST has been reduced to a maximum of two years from three years. Besides, KACST has introduced a system called “incubation” under which young Saudi inventors can register their ideas for further development. Under the “incubation” program KACST is offering all office-space equipped with telephone, Internet and other facilities required for developing innovative ideas. Upon his/her successful endeavors, an inventor can get interest-free bank loans of up to SR2 million. KACST is offering these facilities to inventors to encourage them to start their own business to manufacture, market and sell the products they have invented, he said. Ahmed Al-Sahar, General Secretary of the Saudi Inventors Club, said Ibtikhar was a golden opportunity for creative Saudis to showcase their talent and market their inventions as well. He said efforts are underway for official approval of the Saudi Inventors Club. __
