Kuwait: The Kuwait National Robotics Competition (KNRC)’s scrimmage practice sessions continue to prepare the participating students for the anticipated contest that will take place in 2-3 March. The competition is organized by the Computer Science Department, College of Science, Kuwait University in strategic partnership with Zain and Sabah Al Ahmad Center for Giftedness and Creativity (SACGC) – a center of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS).

KNRC embodies the joint vision of the three partners to continue fostering the digital skills and capabilities of young Kuwaitis by presenting a world-class, empowering, and informative environment to embrace the youth’s creativity and fuel their passion for technology. This will ultimately contribute to draw their future career paths in STEM areas and prepare them for today’s technology-driven market.

The Kuwait Technical College (ktech) recently hosted one of KNRC’s scrimmage practice sessions, where students from across the participating schools got a chance to experience a simulation of the actual competition. The workshops and practice sessions continue in the upcoming weeks to upskill students in planning and executing strategies, building robots, coding and programming, using teamwork and critical thinking skills, and making use of the available tools to produce the best design to win the competition.

The Kuwait National Robotics Competition targets middle school, high school, and university-level students, and features a rich and comprehensive program to develop various technical skills related to building, assembling, and programing robotics. The initiative uses a unique combination of theoretical lessons and practical exercises, and also focuses on invaluable personal skills like teamwork, problem-solving, and critical thinking.

The competition features three levels, each designed for a specific age group. The middle school level centers around the basics of robotics and programming and encourages young minds to explore and innovate. The high school level brings a more advanced platform that pushes the boundaries of creativity, technical skills, and teamwork. The university level is the most advanced, with theoretical and practical skills put to the test. Each level has its special rules and challenges for a unique and informative experience for everyone.

KNRC represents an important step towards fostering creativity and empowering Kuwait’s next generation of technology leaders and innovators. In addition, the winning teams in the Kuwait National Robotics Competition will represent the State of Kuwait in the upcoming global VEX World Robotics Competition to be held in the United States in April.

The competition kicks-off on 2-3 March at Kuwait University’s Conferences Center in Shadadiya. It is organized by the Computer Science Department, College of Science, Kuwait University in strategic partnership with Zain and Sabah Al Ahmad Center for Giftedness and Creativity (SACGC) – a center of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS). It comes in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Kuwait Technical College (KTC), and private sector supporters. The initiative is a successful result of direct and active collaboration between the public and private sectors to empower the next generation of innovators in Kuwait.

This partnership comes under the umbrella of Innovation Nation, the initiative under which all of Zain’s innovation and entrepreneurship programs fall, with a focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) areas. The initiative mainly targets young people and entrepreneurs and aims to foster a digitally capable generation.

This announcement adds to the long list of programs and initiatives presented and supported by Zain and Sabah Al Ahmad Center for Giftedness and Creativity under their strategic partnership that kicked-off last year. The partnership focuses on a number of strategic pillars and sustainable goals like supporting tech innovation, empowering entrepreneurs and startups, encouraging creativity, investing in the digital skills of young people, and more.