LONDON: MIT Technology Review Arabia has announced the 20 winners of its 2024 Innovators Under 35 MENA award, honoring young visionaries whose work spans fields such as biotechnology, artificial intelligence, energy and medicine.

This year’s honorees hail from across the region and beyond, including Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Egypt, Lebanon, Qatar, Bangladesh and Russia, and whose ideas have introduced innovations addressing some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

Their achievements range from groundbreaking genetic research to eco-friendly technologies and advanced health diagnostics.

Among this year’s winners is Saudi Arabia’s Asrar Damdam, whose UV-based device extends the shelf life of fresh food in only 30 seconds without chemicals, tackling global food waste.

Egypt’s Bassem Al-Shaib was recognized for his work with CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) technology, offering new possibilities for genetic therapies and climate change mitigation.

Qatar’s Dhabia Al-Mohannadi has developed a process to convert oil wastewater into hydrogen, contributing to decarbonization efforts.

Saudi Arabia saw significant recognition this year, with five of its innovators earning awards.

These include Mohammed Alamer, whose sustainable graphene production methods are gaining attention, and Lamyaa Almemadi, whose research at MIT focuses on monitoring mRNA degradation in vaccines.

Taghreed Sindi was recognized for developing AI tools to improve children’s hospital care, while Maha AlJuhani introduced methods for designing catalysts that recycle nitrogen, supporting sustainability in industry.

The honorees were selected by a panel of 19 judges, including academics and entrepreneurs from leading institutions worldwide.

The award, which was launched in the MENA in 2018, is the regional version of a global awards scheme launched by MIT Technology Review in 1999.

Part of Arabic digital content provider Majarra, Innovators Under 35 awards have previously honored figures such as Google co-founder Larry Page, and Mark Zuckerberg, founder, chairman and CEO of Meta, formerly known as Facebook.

RIYADH: A group of 250 people from 14 European countries recently visited the International Fair and Museum of the Prophet’s Biography and Islamic Civilization in Madinah.

Guests of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’ Program for Umrah and Visit, the visitors were part of a wider scheme that will see 1,000 people from 66 countries perform Umrah in the Kingdom, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.

At the museum the visitors saw interactive displays and multimedia presentations about the Prophet Muhammad and other holy figures, historical events, Islamic culture and initiatives to safeguard Islamic history and civilization.

The fair seeks to present Islamic culture in an engaging way for different audiences and the visitors expressed their thanks to the Kingdom’s leadership for facilitating their visits to Madinah and Makkah.

They also commended the Kingdom’s efforts to promote Islam’s message of tolerance and to foster appreciation for its historical and spiritual legacy.

As well as the museum, the group visited the Battle of Uhud site, Mount Al-Ramah, the Uhud Martyrs’ Cemetery and offered prayers at Quba Mosque.

At King Fahd Glorious Qur’an Printing Complex, the pilgrims learned about the various stages of printing the Holy Qur’an, preservation efforts and its translation into many languages.

At the end of their visit the pilgrims were presented with copies of the Qur’an by representatives of the complex.