Riyadh: Under the patronage of Governor of Riyadh Region Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and Almarai Company will host, on the evening of Monday, December 1, 2025, a ceremony honoring the winners of the 2024 Almarai Scientific Creativity Award, at Siraj Conference Hall in Riyadh.
According to Saudi Press Agency, President of KACST and Chairman of the Award's Board Dr. Munir Eldesouki, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Almarai Prince Naif bin Sultan bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Kabeer expressed their gratitude and appreciation to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and to His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Research, Development, and Innovation for their support of the research, development, and innovation sector. They emphasized that this support strengthens the Kingdom's global leadership and competitiveness in line with the ambitions of Saudi Vision 2030 and the national aspirations for research, development, and innovation (RDI).
They also extended thanks to the Governor of Riyadh Region for his patronage of the ceremony honoring the winners of the Almarai Scientific Creativity Award, noting that this patronage reflects the governor's commitment to supporting and encouraging scientists and innovators across fields of science and technology, in a way that advances the Kingdom's sustainable development goals.
Launched more than 20 years ago, the Almarai Scientific Creativity Award is the outcome of a strategic partnership between KACST and Almarai. It is the first annual scientific award to receive the approval of the Saudi leadership and accreditation by the National Center for Academic Accreditation and Evaluation in the Kingdom, and it aims to recognize and celebrate achievements by researchers and innovators.
In 2023, the award's strategy was further developed to strengthen innovation in food security in dryland regions at both the national and international levels, in line with the Kingdom's research, development, and innovation priorities, and to help address challenges related to water scarcity and food security. As part of this development, the national category of the award was renamed the "Almarai Scientific Innovation Award" to better support Saudi scientific talent, and a new international category, the "Almarai Award", was introduced with a value of $500,000. This makes it the largest award of its kind globally dedicated to supporting scientists and honoring work that enhances food security in dryland regions.