Under the patronage of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the Ibtikar Innovation Exhibition 2010 will open Sunday in Jeddah with the inventions and creations of 88 Saudi innovators on display. The event, organized by the King Abdul Aziz and His Companions Foundation for Talent and Creativity – “Mawhiba” – is now officially recognized by the International Federation of Inventors' Associations, and according to Mawhiba's Secretary General and exhibition supervisor, Fu'ad Al-Awwad, will reflect the 858 registered Saudi innovations in the last two years in areas of nanotechnology, energy and environment protection, medicine and pharmacology, engineering, water desalination and information technology. “Ibtikar 2010 will see the participation of 88 Saudi inventors, 65 males and 23 females,” Al-Awwad said. “This year there is also a special pavilion for inventors who have succeeded in turning their inventions into marketed products, and awards of SR50,000 each in various fields will be given to academics and researchers.”
