Riyadh Governor Attends Ceremony Honoring Winners of Almarai Prize for Scientific Innovation 2024
- SAUDI ARABIA BREAKING NEWS
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
RIYADH, December 2, 2025 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – His Royal Highness Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Riyadh Region, attended on Tuesday evening the ceremony honoring the winners of the Almarai Prize for Scientific Innovation 2024, organized by King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) in cooperation with Almarai Company. The ceremony was held at Siraj Conference Hall in Riyadh.
Prince Faisal was received upon arrival by Prince Nayef bin Sultan bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Kabeer, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Almarai Company and Vice Chairman of the Prize’s Board of Trustees; Prince Saud bin Sultan bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Kabeer, member of Almarai’s Board of Directors; and Dr. Munir bin Mahmoud Al-Desouki, President of KACST and Chairman of the Prize’s Board of Trustees.
Prince Faisal bin Bandar expressed his gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and to His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for supporting innovation and scientific creativity. He also expressed his satisfaction in attending and sponsoring the ceremony honoring the 2024 laureates.
He emphasized the importance of supporting scientific innovation and congratulated the winners, thanking KACST and Almarai for their efforts in promoting scientific research through the prize’s various categories.
Following the national anthem, Prince Nayef bin Sultan delivered a speech welcoming the Governor of Riyadh and expressing appreciation for his patronage and support for scientific excellence. He stated that the Almarai Prize for Scientific Innovation has, over more than 20 years, achieved notable success and a distinguished scientific standing. He added that the prize’s new strategy reflects an expanded focus on supporting scientific research and innovation locally and internationally, positioning it among the most prominent scientific awards globally in its field.
Prince Nayef affirmed that Almarai, believing in the importance of investing in scientific research and creative minds, continues to support researchers and innovators through strategic partnerships with leading national institutions, foremost among them KACST, with the aim of strengthening the Kingdom’s position in scientific research.
Attendees then viewed a visual presentation highlighting Almarai’s achievements since its establishment.
KACST President Dr. Munir Al-Desouki delivered a speech thanking Prince Faisal for his patronage, noting that the ceremony reflects the Governor’s support for science, technology and innovation, and for honoring distinguished scientists and researchers from around the world.
Dr. Al-Desouki congratulated the winners whose work contributes to innovative solutions for enhancing food security in drylands amid environmental challenges such as desertification, climate change and population growth.He also announced the launch of the Joint Food Security Excellence Center, established in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture and Wageningen University in the Netherlands, to serve as a strategic hub for innovation, solutions to food system challenges, development of national talent and the strengthening of international research partnerships.
He expressed gratitude to the Kingdom’s leadership for continuous support of the research, development and innovation sector, and thanked Almarai and all contributors to the success of the event. He called on the private sector to introduce further initiatives addressing environmental and developmental challenges in partnership with government and research institutions.
A visual presentation on the prize’s history and categories was then screened.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, Prince Faisal honored the winners of the local and international awards.
The International Almarai Prize, valued at $500,000 and recognized as the world’s largest prize in food security in drylands, was awarded to the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) for its project: “Enhancing Food Security in Arab Countries.”
The National Scientific Innovation Prize was awarded to:• Dr. Fahad Al-Shahri, Associate Professor at King Saud University, for his research on integrating machine learning, deep learning and explainable AI to improve groundwater quality prediction and support decision-making in dry regions of the Kingdom.• Dr. Neda Salem Al-Dhiab, Assistant Professor at King Saud University, for her research on primary genomic sequencing of bacterial isolates from potato crops and the use of nanoparticles to stimulate secondary metabolite production.
The ceremony was attended by several ministers and senior officials.
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