RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Under the patronage of His Excellency Mr. Bandar bin Ibrahim AlKhorayef, the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, His Excellency Eng. Khalid bin Saleh Al-Mudaifer, the Vice-Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources for Mining Affairs, inaugurated the in-person bootcamp of the first edition of the Global Minerals Innovation Competition, titled "Future Minerals Pioneers". The competition is organized by the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources in partnership with the National Industrial Development and Logistics Program (NIDLP).
The in-person bootcamp commenced on Thursday, 8 January 2026, and runs through 10 January 2026, bringing together 356 qualified participants representing 32 countries at the global competition stage. The participants were selected from 1,812 applicants across 57 countries worldwide, indicating the competition's strong international reach. Saudi participants accounted for 68% of the qualified cohort, while 32% represented international participation. The bootcamp is the final milestone of the competition, paving the way for the announcement of winners and the recognition of partners on 14 January 2026, during the Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh.
During his tour of the bootcamp, His Excellency the Vice-Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources for Mining Affairs, Eng. Khalid bin Saleh Al-Mudaifer, reviewed solution prototypes presented by participating teams, observed innovative project presentations, and examined the bootcamp's operational mechanisms. H. E's visit also included an overview of the outputs of interactive workshops, as well as engagement with mentoring sessions and accompanying technical discussions.
Participating teams are competing across three core tracks, addressing six strategic challenges, with two challenges assigned to each track. These include the Smart Technologies Track, which focuses on smart compliance solutions within mining complexes and on enhancing mineral exploration processes; the Safety and Security Track, dedicated to developing preventive and proactive solutions to mitigate risks at mining sites and strengthen workforce health and safety; and the Resource Sustainability Track, which addresses challenges related to circular mining and improving water-use efficiency across mining operations.
The bootcamp has witnessed broad participation from key partners and supporting entities, led by the competition's main partner, the Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma'aden), alongside the main partner for the national competition phase, the Saudi Mining Services Company (ESNAD). This engagement also includes a range of national and international entities that contributed to the design of challenges, mentoring, judging, and the enablement of participating teams.
The bootcamp also brings together a distinguished group of local and international experts, along with members of judging panels representing more than 16 public and private sector entities, enhancing the diversity of expertise, the depth of evaluation, and the overall quality of the competition's outcomes.
The in-person bootcamp program includes a series of awareness workshops and mentoring sessions dedicated to the development and evaluation of solutions, ensuring their alignment with real-world challenges in the mining and minerals sector.
The Future Minerals Pioneers Bootcamp represents the final phase of the Global Minerals Innovation Competition, combining hands-on development, specialized guidance, and collaboration among innovators, experts, and partners, culminating in the selection and recognition of winners during the Future Minerals Forum 2026.
Over the past four years, the Future Minerals Forum has established itself as a key global platform for addressing the most pressing challenges in the mining sector, accelerating investment, and advancing responsible mineral supply chains—reinforcing the Kingdom's growing role as a leading contributor to shaping the future of minerals worldwide.
For more information about the Future Minerals Forum, please visit:
https://www.futuremineralsforum.com
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Under the Patronage of the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources - Inauguration of the First Edition of the "Future Minerals Pioneers" Bootcamp
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"You never change things by [only] fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete."
—Buckminster Fuller
TAMPA, Fla., Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Literacy Research Association (LRA) announces its 76th Annual Conference, scheduled to take place from December 2 to 5, 2026, in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. This significant event will explore the theme, "Manifesting Quantum Imaginaries: Re-searching Literacies as a Transcontextual Enterprise," inviting scholars and practitioners to delve into innovative perspectives on literacy research. "As we convene for our 76th Annual Conference in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, the Literacy Research Association is poised to present a truly groundbreaking event. This milestone conference, following closely on the heels of our 75th anniversary, is designed to profoundly expand our understandings of literacies in motion, reinforcing LRA's commitment to disseminating cutting-edge research and underscoring the vital global reach of our mission," said Patriann Smith, LRA 2026 Conference Chair and President-Elect. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95UsflcR3jU
Individuals interested in contributing to this discourse or who wish to attend the conference are encouraged to visit the official LRA website for comprehensive details regarding proposal submissions, registration, and event logistics. Additional information is available at https://literacyresearchassociation.org/current-conference-2026/.
Adopt a Quantum Lens
The theme chosen for the conference invites a metaphorical re-examination of literacies through a quantum lens, moving beyond traditional, linear models of space and time. This approach considers literacies as dynamic bundles of potential, holding multiple meanings simultaneously, much like the smallest units of reality in quantum science as described by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. In turn, this perspective suggests that a single literacy event can generate limitless possibilities depending on its context and trajectory, emphasizing the "when" and "where" of literacies as equally important as the "what."
Explore Literacies in Motion
The LRA 2026 conference will metaphorically use a quantum lens to explore the concept of "literacies in motion," observing how students traverse new contexts and borders, whether they are physically moving, engaging in classrooms, or navigating online and offline worlds. This dynamic interaction creates a complex transcontextual architecture of literacies, shaping how individuals communicate, establish belonging, and navigate their worlds. Considering literacies in motion also aligns with long-standing Indigenous, African, Asian, and diasporic philosophies that underscore the interconnectedness of human experiences and their literacies, reflecting a non-linear understanding of time. The year 2025, recognized as the "Year of Quantum" by UNESCO, provides a timely backdrop for this exploration.
"Attendees of the LRA 2026 conference will discover innovative approaches to cultivate new ways of supporting students and teachers in K-12 classrooms, fostering active literacies in motion that transcend traditional boundaries. Through the metaphorical adoption of a quantum lens, we will explore how even the smallest literacy events hold multiple meanings and create limitless possibilities, equipping educators and researchers with a dynamic framework to navigate the complexities of modern literacy instruction," commented Rahat Zaidi, LRA 2026 Associate Conference Chair and Vice-President.
Join LRA in Hawai'i
This conference seeks to cultivate contemporary ways of supporting students and teachers in K-12 classrooms, preparing them to create new models of engagement in an era marked by artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing. Researchers are invited to submit proposals that investigate these expansive and metaphorical understandings of literacies as quantum phenomena. Potential areas of inquiry include:
- How literacies remain active in the lives of students who move and those who do not;
- The dynamics of literacies across students' online and offline environments;
- Strategies teachers employ to support literacies in motion while meeting educational outcomes;
- Student engagement with literacies as they shape their personal trajectories;
- Methods for researchers to consider both space and time when studying minute instances of student literacies;
- The reflection of multiple possibilities within the smallest instantiations of literacies in motion across diverse contexts;
- Reasons for embracing certain possibilities created by literacies in motion while devaluing others.
By challenging rigid characterizations of human movement and literacies, the LRA 2026 conference aims to liberate literacies as a living, transcontextual endeavor, fostering a collective re-evaluation of truths embedded in literacies in motion and empowering students and teachers to honor responsibility (kuleana) and privilege. "The LRA 2026 conference theme, 'Manifesting Quantum Imaginaries,' represents a critical call to action for the literacy research community, especially as we advance beyond 2025, which marks '100 Years of Quantum'," states Patriann Smith. "Moving beyond static, linear models of thought to embrace a more expansive understanding of literacies as transcontextual, this conference aims to inspire researchers to not only observe but also actively shape how literacies heal, redeem, reconnect, and protect (mālama) -- radically reshaping the shared nows of all."
Patriann Smith, LRA 2026 Conference Chair
Rahat Zaidi, LRA 2026 Associate Conference Chair
MEDIA CONTACT: Patriann Smith, psmith@literacyresearchassociation.org
"You never change things by [only] fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete."
—Buckminster Fuller
TAMPA, Fla., Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Literacy Research Association (LRA) announces its 76th Annual Conference, scheduled to take place from December 2 to 5, 2026, in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. This significant event will explore the theme, "Manifesting Quantum Imaginaries: Re-searching Literacies as a Transcontextual Enterprise," inviting scholars and practitioners to delve into innovative perspectives on literacy research. "As we convene for our 76th Annual Conference in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, the Literacy Research Association is poised to present a truly groundbreaking event. This milestone conference, following closely on the heels of our 75th anniversary, is designed to profoundly expand our understandings of literacies in motion, reinforcing LRA's commitment to disseminating cutting-edge research and underscoring the vital global reach of our mission," said Patriann Smith, LRA 2026 Conference Chair and President-Elect. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95UsflcR3jU
Individuals interested in contributing to this discourse or who wish to attend the conference are encouraged to visit the official LRA website for comprehensive details regarding proposal submissions, registration, and event logistics. Additional information is available at https://literacyresearchassociation.org/current-conference-2026/.
Adopt a Quantum Lens
The theme chosen for the conference invites a metaphorical re-examination of literacies through a quantum lens, moving beyond traditional, linear models of space and time. This approach considers literacies as dynamic bundles of potential, holding multiple meanings simultaneously, much like the smallest units of reality in quantum science as described by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. In turn, this perspective suggests that a single literacy event can generate limitless possibilities depending on its context and trajectory, emphasizing the "when" and "where" of literacies as equally important as the "what."
Explore Literacies in Motion
The LRA 2026 conference will metaphorically use a quantum lens to explore the concept of "literacies in motion," observing how students traverse new contexts and borders, whether they are physically moving, engaging in classrooms, or navigating online and offline worlds. This dynamic interaction creates a complex transcontextual architecture of literacies, shaping how individuals communicate, establish belonging, and navigate their worlds. Considering literacies in motion also aligns with long-standing Indigenous, African, Asian, and diasporic philosophies that underscore the interconnectedness of human experiences and their literacies, reflecting a non-linear understanding of time. The year 2025, recognized as the "Year of Quantum" by UNESCO, provides a timely backdrop for this exploration.
"Attendees of the LRA 2026 conference will discover innovative approaches to cultivate new ways of supporting students and teachers in K-12 classrooms, fostering active literacies in motion that transcend traditional boundaries. Through the metaphorical adoption of a quantum lens, we will explore how even the smallest literacy events hold multiple meanings and create limitless possibilities, equipping educators and researchers with a dynamic framework to navigate the complexities of modern literacy instruction," commented Rahat Zaidi, LRA 2026 Associate Conference Chair and Vice-President.
Join LRA in Hawai'i
This conference seeks to cultivate contemporary ways of supporting students and teachers in K-12 classrooms, preparing them to create new models of engagement in an era marked by artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing. Researchers are invited to submit proposals that investigate these expansive and metaphorical understandings of literacies as quantum phenomena. Potential areas of inquiry include:
- How literacies remain active in the lives of students who move and those who do not;
- The dynamics of literacies across students' online and offline environments;
- Strategies teachers employ to support literacies in motion while meeting educational outcomes;
- Student engagement with literacies as they shape their personal trajectories;
- Methods for researchers to consider both space and time when studying minute instances of student literacies;
- The reflection of multiple possibilities within the smallest instantiations of literacies in motion across diverse contexts;
- Reasons for embracing certain possibilities created by literacies in motion while devaluing others.
By challenging rigid characterizations of human movement and literacies, the LRA 2026 conference aims to liberate literacies as a living, transcontextual endeavor, fostering a collective re-evaluation of truths embedded in literacies in motion and empowering students and teachers to honor responsibility (kuleana) and privilege. "The LRA 2026 conference theme, 'Manifesting Quantum Imaginaries,' represents a critical call to action for the literacy research community, especially as we advance beyond 2025, which marks '100 Years of Quantum'," states Patriann Smith. "Moving beyond static, linear models of thought to embrace a more expansive understanding of literacies as transcontextual, this conference aims to inspire researchers to not only observe but also actively shape how literacies heal, redeem, reconnect, and protect (mālama) -- radically reshaping the shared nows of all."
Patriann Smith, LRA 2026 Conference Chair
Rahat Zaidi, LRA 2026 Associate Conference Chair
MEDIA CONTACT: Patriann Smith, psmith@literacyresearchassociation.org
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
"Quantum Imaginaries: Literacy Research Association Unveils Revolutionary Theme for 2026 Honolulu Conference"
"Quantum Imaginaries: Literacy Research Association Unveils Revolutionary Theme for 2026 Honolulu Conference"
"Quantum Imaginaries: Literacy Research Association Unveils Revolutionary Theme for 2026 Honolulu Conference"
