The Ministry of Education is offering overseas scholarships to enterprising students who excel in research and innovation.

Students would be able to study abroad and visit various top institutions to promote their work, according to a statement issued by King Abdulaziz University ahead of its research conference from March 30 to April 2.

The university would publish and use the research, the statement said. More than 5,000 students from 42 Saudi universities are expected to take part in the event.

The university said that in the past several students who had won prizes were sent abroad on scholarships to study at reputable universities. They had also taken part in international conferences and visited major research centers in China, Japan and Singapore. Several had attended specialized training courses inside and outside the Kingdom.

The university said it would link students with businesspeople so that their ideas are transformed into commercially viable products.

The ministry has been organizing student conferences for the past six years to highlight outstanding student research and inventions, and to encourage them to participate in international scientific competitions.

The conference will have four sessions. They are innovation and business pioneering, human and social sciences, basic and engineering sciences, and health sciences. Activities on the sidelines include the screening of documentary films and cultural and artistic exhibitions.