4.3.1 Public Access to Educational Resources
4.3.2 Hosting Public Events at University
4.3.3 Hosting Vocational Training Events at University
4.3.4 Educational Outreach Activities Beyond Campus
4.3.5 Lifelong Learning Access Policy
International Learning Experience – University of Ottawa Partnership
As part of GUST’s growing international collaborations, students had the remarkable opportunity to participate in specialized training and learning experiences at the University of Ottawa in Canada. Following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between GUST and the University of Ottawa, this partnership has already led to meaningful academic exchange and hands-on learning opportunities that extend beyond the classroom.
Over the summer of 2025, MBA students took part in a Digital Entrepreneurship course at the University of Ottawa, where they explored innovative business models, digital transformation strategies, and global entrepreneurial practices.
Meanwhile, another group of students joined a six-week intensive Cybersecurity Bootcamp hosted at IBM’s Cyber Range Lab at uOttawa. Participants gained valuable technical experience through simulations and practical exercises and concluded the program with the Fortinet certification, an industry-recognized credential in cybersecurity.
These programs provided students with world-class exposure, blending academic learning with real-world application in high-demand fields. They reflect GUST’s commitment to empowering students through international experiences, global industry partnerships, and lifelong learning opportunities that prepare them for success in an increasingly digital and interconnected world.
Capture The Flag (CTF) Cybersecurity Competition – October 2025
In support of Kuwait’s national push toward cybersecurity readiness, GUST students actively engaged in the Capture The Flag (CTF) competition — a leading cybersecurity challenge hosted at 360 Mall with participation from universities and industry teams across Kuwait.
The Jeopardy-style event tested real-world cyber competencies including Web Security, Reverse Engineering, Digital Forensics, and Network Security. Competing against 80 highly skilled teams, GUST showcased outstanding technical capability, resilience, and team strategy.We are proud to announce that a GUST team — composed of undergraduate and graduate students — achieved 1st place among all university competitors and 4th overall, surpassing numerous professional cybersecurity teams. Another GUST team also demonstrated excellent performance by securing 7th place.
This achievement highlights the strength of GUST’s academic training in cybersecurity, and reinforces our commitment to preparing students with cutting-edge skills aligned with the needs of Kuwait’s digital future.We extend our sincere appreciation to Dr. Mahmoud Qutqut, whose mentorship and expertise played a pivotal role in guiding our students to success.
1st Place at KIB Innovation Challenge 2025
GUST proudly celebrates the outstanding achievement of our students at the Kuwait International Bank (KIB) Innovation Challenge 2025, where innovation and entrepreneurship take center stage as tools for community advancement.
A talented team of GUST students earned 1st place in this national competition, securing a 6,000 KD prize for their innovative solution. Guided by the exceptional mentorship of Dr. Michel Zaitouni and Dr. Raghid Al Hajj, the team developed a project that demonstrated strong problem-solving ability, creativity, and the capability to tackle real-world challenges.
This milestone emphasizes GUST’s commitment to empowering students through experiential learning opportunities that extend beyond the classroom. By participating in public innovation challenges like this one, our students actively contribute to the development of a more knowledge-driven, entrepreneurial society in Kuwait.
At GUST, we strive to build future leaders who not only learn — but innovate, inspire, and give back to their communities.
English Department Internship Program
As part of GUST’s commitment to bridging academic learning with real-world experience, students enrolled in ENGL 499 – Internship had the opportunity to complete their placements with prestigious organizations such as the United Nations (UN), the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), and Kuwait Television (KTV2). Through these internships, students gained hands-on experience in professional communication, media production, research, and public service. These partnerships not only allowed students to apply their classroom knowledge in dynamic work environments but also contributed to their personal and professional growth, fostering skills essential for their future careers.
Georgetown Qatar Model United Nations (GQMUN) – November 28–30, 2024
Representing GUST on an international platform, six members of our Debate Club proudly participated in the Georgetown Qatar Model United Nations (GQMUN) conference — a prestigious academic diplomacy event bringing together university students from across the MENA and GCC regions. Hosted at Georgetown University in Qatar, the three-day conference fostered high-level debate, global citizenship, and collaborative problem-solving on pressing international issues.
By engaging in structured negotiations, policy writing, and diplomatic dialogue, our students strengthened their leadership skills, public speaking abilities, and understanding of global governance. Their participation reflects GUST’s commitment to expanding educational experiences beyond the classroom and empowering students to contribute to meaningful international discussions.
This opportunity also highlights our focus on inclusive access to learning, where students gain exposure to diverse perspectives while networking with peers from leading regional institutions — directly supporting SDG 4: Quality Education and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals.
High School Journalism and Writing Conference 2025
In May 2025, GUST’s Mass Communication and Media (MCM) faculty proudly participated in the Second High School Journalism and Writing Conference—one of the few events of its kind in the Middle East—hosted at Fahaheel English School. The conference brought together aspiring young writers and journalists from schools across Kuwait for a day of learning, creativity, and inspiration.
GUST faculty members led a series of interactive workshops focused on journalism, media ethics, storytelling, and digital communication, providing students with hands-on experience and professional insights into the evolving world of media. The event fostered a deeper appreciation for the power of words and storytelling, encouraging students to pursue their passion for writing and journalism. Through this collaboration, GUST continues to extend its educational outreach beyond campus, empowering the next generation of communicators and critical thinkers.
Educational Visit to Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA)
In line with GUST’s mission to bridge academic learning with real-world experience, a group of our students visited the Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) for an educational and professional development trip. The visit provided students with a unique opportunity to gain firsthand insight into investment strategies, wealth management, and Kuwait’s economic diversification initiatives.
During the session, KIA professionals shared their expertise on global investment trends, financial planning, and sustainable economic growth, helping students understand how theoretical knowledge from their coursework translates into practical decision-making in the investment sector.This visit not only enriched students’ academic learning but also inspired them to explore potential career paths in finance, economics, and investment management.
Kuwait Collegiate Programming Contest (KCPC) Participation 2024
GUST students proudly represented the university at the Kuwait Collegiate Programming Contest (KCPC) 2024 — a major national competition that brings together top programming talent from universities across Kuwait. Competing against more than 30+ teams from 8 institutions, our students demonstrated advanced problem-solving abilities, creativity, and collaborative skills under real-world competitive pressure.
KCPC is part of the International Collegiate Programming Contest (ACM-ICPC), the world’s oldest and most prestigious programming contest for universities. It is a team-based programming competition where students can exercise their problem solving and computational thinking skills to solve a set of problems. The top teams advance to regional and international levels of the contest.
Two GUST teams earned silver medals, marking an outstanding achievement for our expanding community of programmers. Additionally, one team qualified to advance to the Africa and Arab Championship Programming Contest, placing GUST on a broader regional stage and showcasing the strength of our academic training in computer science.
Harnessing AI in Healthcare: From Data to Clinical Insights
Supporting SDG 4: Quality Education, the Center for Education and Advancement (CEA) at GUST continues to extend learning opportunities beyond the university campus. One such initiative was the Multidisciplinary Scientific Session titled “Harnessing AI in Healthcare: From Data to Clinical Insights”, led by Prof. Dr. Bulent Yilmaz.
The seminar brought together students, professionals, and community members to explore how artificial intelligence is transforming modern healthcare—from improving diagnostics to enhancing patient care. Through engaging discussions and expert insights, participants gained a deeper understanding of how data-driven technologies are shaping the future of medicine.
TV Interview: Exploring the Intersections of Music and Education
In an engaging interview on KTV2’s “Good Morning Kuwait” show, Dr. Martin Sebastian Loyato, Associate Professor of Music at GUST, shared valuable insights on the role of music in education and its impact on cognitive and emotional development. The discussion highlighted how music serves as a bridge between creativity and learning, fostering discipline, collaboration, and critical thinking among students. Dr. Loyato emphasized the importance of integrating music into educational frameworks to cultivate well-rounded individuals and inspire lifelong learning through the arts.
Missouri University for Science and Technology Celebrates Kuwait National Day
Missouri University for Science and Technology celebrated Kuwait's National Day during an event held on their campus. The event was hosted by the Missouri S&T, Missouri S&T Kuwait Students Association, and was coordinated by Fares Al-Qahtani, a senior in S&T's Petroleum Engineering Program. The event was attended by Dr. Colin Potts, Missouri S&T Provost, along with the other members. Dr. Potts and Dr. Smith (GUST Academic Program Lead) spoke about GUST and MS&T's partnership and history, and gave a presentation on the GUST engineering implementation project.
GUST Students Wins First Place at the Rowad Innovation Program
For the second time, GUST students were awarded first place at Warba Bank’s Pioneers of Innovation Rowad Program, which was organized for the 4th time. The four students competed against three other local university teams for the prize after attending a 3-week program of customized workshops and lectures led by Warba Bank, which kicked off on October 23rd 2022 and continued until December 15th 2022. The program aims to support the innovation of banking services and develop creative solutions in the Islamic banking sector.
The participating GUST students were: Abdulrazzaq Al Eisa, Khalifa Al Enezi, Essa Al Noufal, and Sarah Al Enezi, who were selected by a Warba Bank Committee to participate in the program. Over the three weeks, they completed workshops and lectures to learn all the essential information in the banking field, such as the different services and products currently available, to complete the assignment successfully. The other participating universities were Kuwait University, Australian University, and the American University of Kuwait.
During the closing ceremony, the students presented their ideas to a panel of industry experts. They were evaluated based on their final presentation, innovative & fresh thinking, the practicality of implementing their ideas, and team effort in meeting all the requirements. As a result, the GUST team was awarded the first-place prize for their innovative ideas and stellar presentation.
GUST Students Participate in Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium at UMSL
Kuwait City, 17 June 2021: Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST) was represented by six undergraduate students at the annual Undergraduate Research Symposium (URS) hosted by the University of Missouri – Saint Louis (UMSL). The students participating were: Amna AlBaghli, Omar Mohamed Abdulazim, Ahmad Abdala AlDabak, Fatme Adel Ghaddar, Nourah Roudan, and Shakha AlMoushirge. The event is usually held for all UMSL undergraduates, and this was the first time GUST undergraduate students participated. Presentations were presented online via Microsoft Teams.
The URS provides a professional conference-style platform for students to present their original research and creative works to fellow peers, faculty, staff, administrators, and visitors in a supportive and collegial environment. The six students that presented were divided according to their project category and were allowed to prepare an audio or video introduction describing their work while also giving an invitation for questions that could be followed up after the symposium.
Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Bassam Alameddine said, “We are very proud to have GUST represented at URS for the very first time and by six outstanding students. Their projects proved GUST great academic aptitude and the students’ excellent analytical skills. We congratulate our students for their immense efforts and for elevating GUST’s name in such a prestigious international event.”
The URS application announcement was sent to GUST students from the Graduate Studies and Research Office (GSR). Interested students contacted the office of international programs at GUST with the details of their research work and then were individually contacted by the UMSL URS committee to help them begin setting up their “channel” on Microsoft Teams to present their research. GUST is affiliated with UMSL and shares a summer scholarship program that covers summer courses at UMSL, allowing students to enrich their academic experience abroad.
GUST Professor Lectures at Oxford University
Kuwait City, 14 June 2021: Assistant Professor of Humanities and Social Science at GUST, Dr. Sara Rzayeva, gave a talk online for Oxford University titled “Rural Azerbaijan: Land Reforms, Migration, and Moral Economy in the Post-Soviet Period”. The talk was part a conference titled “Beyond the Boom: Toward Human and Social” which took place from May 6 to June 10 and held via Zoom. Dr. Rzayeva’s talk was held on May 20 and participated as part of an invitation from the Russian and East European Studies Programme (REES) of Oxford’s School of Global and Area Studies (OSGA) and the Oxford Nizami Ganjavi Centre (ONGC).
Dr. Rzayeva’s presentation examined the curious case of “Dutch Disease”, a paradox that describes good news harming a nation’s broader economy, in Azerbaijan. She gave an example by emphasizing how the oil sector accounts for 60% of Azerbaijan's revenues, but employs only 1% of the labor force. Agriculture accounts for 6% of the GDP, but employs 40% of the labor force. The presentation looked at the historical development and current structures of this phenomenon, demonstrating the role of land redistribution, migration, and rural moral economies. Moral economy, a concept popularized by the British historian E.P. Thompson, refers to the notion that human populations are not just material beings but act according to collective ideas of what is ‘right and just’. Dr. Rzayeva traced the contested change in the collective notions of ‘right and just' in rural Azerbaijan in the post-Soviet period in connection to migration and land reforms.
Assistant Professor of Humanities and Social Sciences, Dr. Sara Rzayeva said “I was very glad that these discussions took place. Understanding people and their ideas about economic orders is central to understanding economic development”.
Dr. Rzayeva’s participation is a testament to GUST faculty members constant strive for academic excellence. Recently, Dr. Sali Hammad gave a talk at Kingston University-London sharing her work at GUST as well.
