At the invitation of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), Acting Vice President for Planning, Institutional Excellence and Innovation at Abdullah Al Salem University, Prof. Fawaz Shukair Al-Anzi, participated in the 2026 Global Research Council Middle East and North Africa Regional Meeting (GRC 2026 MENA Regional Meeting), held from 2 to 4 November 2026 at the Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Centre in Kuwait.

His participation took place on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, as part of a panel discussion titled “Building the Case for and Communicating the Value of Curiosity-Driven Research.” During the discussion, he explored how curiosity evolves from childhood wonder into systematic scientific inquiry, ultimately leading to institutional wisdom that safeguards the freedom to explore and allows knowledge to grow without restricting research through requirements for predetermined outcomes.

He also presented a practical approach based on establishing prior agreements between research institutions and funding bodies to define evaluation criteria and acceptable risk thresholds. This approach also involves launching small-scale pilot programmes for exploratory research, with their outcomes reviewed transparently before decisions are made regarding expansion or modification. He emphasized the importance of integrating curiosity-driven research with applied research to serve national priorities and ensure the sustainability of innovation.