RIYADH: A Saudi researcher at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology has won a major international innovation award for his work on clean energy and sustainability solutions, according to a report by the Saudi Press Agency.
Dr. Majed Alawad, director of the Joint Center of Excellence for Nanomaterials for Clean Energy Applications at KACST, received the Distinguished Innovator Award from the Global Innovation Institute (GInI), an honor recognizing impactful innovations with societal benefits.
The award is considered among the leading global distinctions in innovation. SPA reported that nearly 1,476 applicants from 26 countries competed in the 2025 edition, with only 100 winners selected across 10 categories, including 30 recipients in the Distinguished Innovator category.
Alawad was recognized for several initiatives in climate technology and advanced materials research, including the establishment of PureSky, a climate-tech company focused on atmospheric water harvesting technologies aimed at supporting agriculture and afforestation in arid regions.
He also contributed to launching the “GenAI for Materials Discovery Hackathon,” an initiative designed to strengthen integration between artificial intelligence and materials science under the supervision of Prof. Omar Yaghi, the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate.
