National Olympiad for Scientific Creativity

Introduction

In fulfillment of the Vision 2030 of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with the goal of a prosperous economy and a fruitful opportunity by providing education that contributes to advancing the nation. One of the work commitments is the "focus on innovation in advanced technologies and entrepreneurship and in line with the tenth development plan, to transform that into society. The National Olympiad for Scientific Creativity "Ibdaa" seeks to create a competitive, creative scientific environment that stimulates the mind of a pre-college scientific researcher. It also prepares them for competition and entry into the global knowledge system based, on innovation and scientific research to achieve sustainable national development.

Ibdaa has embodied distinction and creativity at the local and international levels by the hands of the sons and daughters of the nation through distinguished scientific projects throughout the past 11 years. The achievements continue now in creativity with full potential and is organized by the Ministry of Education and the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity "Mawhiba". It is part of the implementation of the education policy in the Kingdom, with the goal to encourage and develop the spirit of research and scientific thinking, and to consider to global achievements in the fields of science and knowledge.

National Olympiad for Scientific Creativity - An Introduction

It is an annual scientific competition based on competition in one of 21 scientific fields and is implemented through the submission of individual scientific or engineering projects, according to International standards and controls.

Ibdaa Science and Engineering Fair

An exhibition to select the winners in "Ibdaa", from whom represent the Kingdom at the International Science and Engineering Exhibition "ISEF" in the United States of America.

The Scientific Project

It is the study of a problem to solve based on precise scientific rules, and it is a way to ask questions and scientifically answer to them by observing and doing experiments and providing results. It is organized scientific thinking carried out by a person called the researcher to investigate facts about a particular issue or problem called the subject of scientific research. This is implemented by following an organized scientific method called the scientific research method, with the goal of reaching appropriate solutions for applications or to validate results for generalization to similar problems called results of scientific research. This will prove or deny the hypothesis and this research may lead to an engineering design that requires creative work.

Goals

Provide a competitive environment that satisfies the interest of the nations' sons and daughters.
Develop the creative spirit among students in the scientific and technical fields.
Discover the scientifically talented students.
Provide students with scientific research skills and to provide the development of their scientific talents.
Represent the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in international forums with distinguished projects.
Embrace students' creativity to reach solutions to solve global sustainable development problems.
Teach creative students about the importance of the economic impact of scientific research.
Transform students' projects into usable manufactured models.

Students Journey with Ibdaa

Phase 1: Registering the student's information

Phase 2: Training courses for students

Phase 3: Project Submission

Phase 4:

E-arbitration (judging)
Announcement of winners to the next phase
Uploading prototypes on websites

Phase 5:

Fairs and workshops (1-2-3)
Announcement of nominees to National phase
Continue developing projects

Phase 6:

Ibdaa Science and Engineering Fair
Preparatory Workshop for ISEF
Joining ISEF team, if selected

Scientific fields

Achievements

Registration

Note: Registration for the Olympics is available during the period from August to September of each year, and is carried out during the period from October to May of each year.

Target group

Middle or high school students within the age group (11-20 years).

Registry Permissions

The participant must be a Saudi national and one of the intermediate or secondary school students in the age group (12-20 years).
Must be registered in "Ibdaa" via the electronic form to request participation. Any project that is not registered will not be accepted.
The participant must be from schools affiliated with the Ministry of Education in the Kingdom, and the Executive Committee has the right to exclude any participant if it is proven that there is incorrect information in the basic data.
Choosing a project supervisor must be done according to the specified controls, and in the event of violating any of the aforementioned controls, the supervisor will not be approved. Note that the supervision of the project will not entail any rights if the project won at any stage of the Ibdaa links to a project supervisor.
The necessity of the participant's attendance for all days of the qualifying and training programs, the days of the central exhibitions, and Ibdaa exhibition for science and engineering.
The participant is obligated to review the guidelines, rules, and regulations for Ibdaa through the Mawhiba website.

Terms and conditions for participating in the project

The student is entitled to participate in only one project, provided that the project is individual, meaning that only one student participates in the project. Registration on the site with a group project will not be accepted.
It is forbidden to participate in the same project idea for more than one male or female student, and if this occurs, the participation of both students will be canceled.
Completing the registration stages, which includes recording personal information, then project information in the second stage, then bank data, then printing an Ibdaa card to attend central exhibitions and Ibdaa exhibition for science and engineering upon project qualification.
When filling out the project information, the participant must write the project summary comprehensively with all the abstract elements as the electronic arbitration depends on the summary and plan of the project registered on the Mawhiba website.
The projects that did not fully record project information in the specified time are excluded.
The Executive Committee has the right to exclude projects in which the project title and the project summary do not match.
The Executive Committee has the right to exclude projects that do not have basic scientific information in the project summary.
The Executive Committee has the right to exclude the participant who has other competitions/events that coincide with any stage of Ibdaa, and affect his participation in accordance with the rules, regulations and obligations contained in the framework.
That the participation is within the allowable fields of Ibdaa, where the project will be judged according to the participant's choice of the field. The participant is not allowed to change the field after the project is judged.
That the participation is an original and unprecedented work and allowed if it is a further development of previous work. It must be a personal effort of the participant, bearing in mind that any participation in the electronic arbitration stage or any stage of Ibdaa will be excluded if it is discovered that the work is reproduced or incomplete.
It is not possible to change the project supervisor after registering his name on the “Mawhiba" website, and any supervisor who meets the criteria has the right to supervise more than two projects as a maximum. “Supervisor Selection Controls"
Commitment to scientific ethics controls in conducting experiments and implementing the project, and adherence to safety and security controls and instructions for the presentation of the project. “Scientific Ethics"
Fill out the forms required for the project according to the field of the project, noting that there are mandatory forms for all projects, and no participation will be accepted without filling out the forms
If there is an engineering model, the specified measurements must be adhered to: (The maximum length is 50 cm, the width is 40 cm, the height is 20 cm). A width greater than these measurements will not be allowed, and a video clip and photographs of the engineering product can be displayed.
Preparing the project display board as shown on the Mawhiba website, as well as preparing the project code when starting the project and writing the project plan and summary, as shown on the Mawhiba site.
If the project is a continuation of the past year, the following must be adhered to:

Clarification to the arbitrator in the central exhibitions and Ibdaa exhibition for science and engineering during the arbitration interview that the project is a continuation of the past year.
Form No. (7) available on the Mawhiba website for completing the project and displaying it on the display board for this year's project.

To be satisfied with writing the (new) developed part of the project only in the presentation board and the project summary without writing the procedures of the previous year.

Important instructions for participants

1. It is necessary to read and understand the scientific ethics regulations for the participant and the project supervisor.

2. Fill out the required forms for each field, taking into account accuracy in writing the Gregorian date and including the signature, while taking into account the following:

A. When dealing with animals, experiments must be conducted in a suitable environment and limited to observation and monitoring of the animal’s behavior only, without directly affecting the animal or causing harm or danger to it, while preserving its life in accordance with the regulations in the Kingdom.

B. When dealing with hazardous or internationally prohibited materials, the participant’s role is limited to observation and monitoring, with the necessity of adhering to international security and safety laws and working under the supervision of an academic scientific supervisor specialized in the field in accordance with the regulations in the Kingdom.

C. When dealing with human elements such as: (distributing questionnaires to a number of people):

General questionnaires: which measure the efficiency of the innovator's work without the need for personal data or opinions and does not require writing the person's name or written consent.
Special questionnaires: with a specific category such as: (Age, gender, position, etc. ...) it requires obtaining written consent in addition to filling out Form No. 4 with a consent form for each person and persons under the age of 18 years, the guardian's approval is required.

3. The participant gets the feedback about his project directly from the arbitrator in the central exhibitions and Ibdaa exhibition for science and engineering through questions and discussions during the interview on the day of the arbitration only, knowing that this feedback is not available to both the Ministry or Mawhiba.

4. The results of the arbitration are final and not subject to discussion or objection.

5. For comments or inquiries regarding arbitration, contact is made via e-mail Judging@mawhiba.org.sa

6. For scientific inquiries (scientific ethics controls, project presentation, direction, and guidance), contact via e-mail src@mawhiba.org.sa

7. If there are technical problems in all stages of registration or stages of Ibdaa, please contact Customer Service.

Voluntary Arbitration

Voluntary arbitration

It is the arbitration of scientific (research) projects registered to participate in the National Olympiad for Scientific Creativity “Ibdaa” by experts, specialists or volunteer academics in the same field of the project, and then evaluating them according to specific scientific standards.

ISEF Exhibition

The Kingdom, represented by the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba) and the Ministry of Education, is participating in the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), which is the largest scientific competition in the field of scientific research for the pre-university stage. The fair hosts approximately 1,800 participants from more than 75 countries around the world.

This competition is organized by the American Society for Science & the Public, and sponsored by Intel until 2019. The sponsorship was transferred to Regeneron in 2020.

This competition started as a local competition in 1950 and then became an international competition in 1958. The competition is held annually in May in the United States of America, and the location of the exhibition varies from year to year.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's participation began in 2007 based on an agreement between the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity and the Science and Society Society (SSP).

Ibdaa is the gateway to ISEF

For more about ISEF.