Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Medical and Educational Sciences participated in the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children Conference (WCGTC 2025), held in Braga, Portugal, from 29 July to 2 August 2025. The event brought together a distinguished gathering of experts, academics, and specialists in giftedness and excellence from around the world.
Dr Mariam Al Ghawi, Director of Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Centre for Giftedness and Innovation and head of the delegation, said: “Our participation in the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children Conference is an important opportunity to present our evidence-based expertise and practices to leading global experts, and to exchange experiences with pioneering institutions in the field of talent development. Being present at this international forum reflects the Foundation’s commitment to advancing scientific research and developing programs that meet the needs of gifted students, while aligning our efforts with national and international priorities in innovation and sustainable development. We believe that investing in gifted individuals is an investment in a more prosperous future, and that global partnerships are a key pillar in maximizing the positive impact of our programs.”
In the research track, Dr. Zulaikha Mohammed presented a paper titled “Mentoring through Self-Learning: An Analysis Through Mentee’s Feedback on Training Units”, which examined the outcomes of the Global Mentorship Program in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine). The initiative connects gifted students with specialized experts in their respective fields. The study highlighted the importance of collecting participant feedback to enhance content, design new training modules, and provide targeted support, thereby improving the effectiveness and relevance of digital self-learning to meet students’ needs.
In the applied track, Dr Mariam Al Ghawi delivered a session titled “Cultivating Gifted Students at the Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Centre for Giftedness and Innovation”, showcasing the Centre’s integrated model for identifying and empowering gifted students. The model encompasses talent discovery, nurturing, personal mentorship, advanced STEM pathways, and opportunities for international collaboration with leading academic and industrial institutions. The presentation emphasized 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and leadership, aligning services with national and global priorities in sustainable development and innovation, and sharing success stories that illustrate how scientific research can be linked to educational policy and practice to deliver high-quality, diverse services.
Together, the two sessions underscored the integration between research and practice, where program evaluations generate actionable evidence, and applied frameworks translate that evidence into sustainable educational outcomes. This approach reflects the Foundation’s role in offering a pioneering model that can be adopted by educational centers and institutions seeking to enhance their talent development services.
