May 10, 2026

Design Expo Returns With 165 Innovative Ideas

On Saturday, May 9th, 2026, KFUPM held the 14th edition of its annual KFUPM Design Expo, bringing together 165 interdisciplinary teams composed of graduating senior students from different majors to present their capstone projects before university leadership, industry representatives, parents, and members of the community. KFUPM Design Expo serves as a platform for graduating seniors to translate years of academic learning into practical projects developed under the guidance of faculty coaches. This year’s exhibition featured the participation of 704 male students and 260 female students, marking the first time female students participated in the Design Expo as part of KFUPM’s first graduating female batch.

The Expo was attended by KFUPM President, Dr Muhammad Al-Saggaf, VP for Academic Affairs. Dr Mesfer Al-Zahrani, and VP for Research & Innovation, Dr Ali Al Shaikhi, alongside deans and interdisciplinary research center directors from across the university. Throughout the exhibition halls, they witnessed solutions tied to healthcare, sustainability, energy systems, agriculture, mobility, smart technologies, and others. Projects combined knowledge from almost all majors at KFUPM, including Electrical Engineering, Bioengineering, Accounting, Finance, Information and Computer Sciences, and many more into functioning concepts and prototypes designed with practical implementation in mind. Many of the participating teams integrated applied AI, automation, data analysis, and hardware systems into projects that addressed operational, environmental, and social challenges.

Several awards were presented during the Expo to recognize projects across various categories, such as innovation, entrepreneurship, humanitarian impact, and technology readiness. This edition also featured a new concept; all project information was fed into AI to determine the Best Project - AI Selected Award. Additionally, six separate projects further received the “Recognition by the President Award,” addressing social, environmental, and health-related challenges through technology-driven solutions.

Among the projects that drew particular attention was the “Portable AI-Assisted Capillary-Blood Analyzer,” which received “The Most Humanitarian Project Award.” The project was developed by Abdullah Al Khulaqi, Nawaf Alsharani, Haitham Babikir, Abdulrhman Basaif, Hamza Shahbar, and Muadh Alshamsy. “The Highest TRL Award” was presented to “Nafikh: Central Tire Inflation System (CTIS),” developed by Abdulaziz Ashy, Khalifah Alabdulathim, Saleh Alshawmar, Mohammed Alshamrani, Nawaf Alkhan, and Abdulaziz Alhammad. Meanwhile, “The Most Innovative Project Award” recognized the “Modular Portable Biorefinery for Waste Coffee Conversion,” developed by Saud Alsubhi, Abdulaziz Alhaimi, Fahad Alqahtani, Aseel Brbaa, Hassan Alhulays, and Abdulrahman Al Mufadhi.

The projects highlighted how KFUPM increasingly connects technical expertise with practical application. By bringing together students from different majors within a single team structure, the Expo further demonstrated how interdisciplinary teamwork can provide more advanced and effective solutions to some of the world’s greatest challenges.