The head of the National Olympiad for Science Innovation (NOSI), Abdulhakeem Al-Dawoud, said here on Tuesday that as many as 6,160 projects in the field of scientific research and innovation had qualified for the second round of competition in this year's NOSI criterion challenge.

The annual event conducted through the King Abdul Aziz and His Companions Center for Talent and Innovation (Mawhiba) is being organized to identify local innovation in project development that could qualify for competitions at the international level. The final qualifying round will be held at the Riyadh Convention and Exhibitions Center (RCEC) on Feb. 3-8 next year.

Al-Dawoud said that the second phase of testing will end this week, and the winners will qualify for a third round of competition. All competitors undergo thorough examination by academic specialists in order to determine the best participants in accordance with a specific criteria to qualify for the advanced stages.

Explaining the idea of NOSI, he said it is based on competition in the field of scientific research and innovation, where individual or collective projects are welcomed from all regions within the country.

Outlining the qualifying stages, he said it includes organizing 90 exhibitions for both boys and girls by educational departments that ends this week to choose 616 projects after undergoing strict arbitration process.

He said the winners will undergo training and workshops to help them develop their projects prior to their participation in the final round.