A total of 2,072 science projects from Saudi boy and girl schools have qualified for the National Olympiad for Science Innovation (NOSI).

Ahmed Ali Al-Blushi, NOSI director general, said the first phase of qualifying was held over the past two weeks at 45 schools, with the participation of 10,000 intermediate and secondary level students aged between 12 and 20.

The program falls under the supervision of the King Abdul Aziz and his Companions’ Foundation for the Gifted and Creativity, or Mawhiba. The Ministry of Education is part of the ambitious program to discover local talent.

Al-Blushi said students competed in groups and as individuals with academics and specialists evaluating their work and identifying the best projects. He said the competition would take place from Jan. 26 to Feb. 6 in 13 districts.

Mawhiba would oversee the evaluation, with the final qualification in Riyadh from March 12-18. The winners in the final round would participate in the International Olympiad competition, he said.

Al-Blushi said the Education Ministry and Mawhiba are seeking to improve the Olympiads every year with training programs offered by specialized international and local bodies for students, teachers, the jury, and heads of education departments.

“The NOSI management wants to improve exhibitions in the departments of education. This will be done by setting up a special body to oversee and support such events,” he said.