Muscat – The Ministry of Education (MoE), in partnership with Oman India Fertiliser Company (OMIFCO), opened the National Olympiad for Scientific Innovations, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence on Tuesday. 

The three-day event, held at Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre, showcases students’ talent in scientific innovation, robotics and drone technology.

The Olympiad has attracted 121 students from various educational directorates presenting 68 unique innovations in four categories – engineering systems and energy (19 entries), biological and environmental sciences (21 entries), information technology (19 entries), and science and mathematics (nine entries). 

A panel of academic experts and researchers from diverse educational institutions will evaluate the innovations, with a focus on originality and scientific integrity.

In the robotics category, the competition is fierce with 66 students forming 33 teams across three grade levels – grades 5-6, 7-8 and 9-11. 

The drone category, featuring 20 students in ten teams, is segmented into three sub-categories to ensure a level playing field. The participants face various programming challenges, testing their skills and creativity.

Alongside the competitions, the Olympiad features the Second Scientific Innovation Forum, which aims to enrich the knowledge of heads of Olympiad innovation and scientific departments, besides specialists of various educational directorates. 

The forum includes interactive sessions on the significance of innovation in everyday life, intellectual property rights for scientific innovations, mentoring of Olympiad teams, and practical training methodologies.

The National Olympiad will conclude at the annual Knowledge Development Programme ceremony on Thursday, where the winners in scientific innovation, robotics and artificial intelligence competitions will be announced.