In 2025, the Climate Change Center (CCC), an initiative of the National Center for Meteorology (NCM) supported by KAUST, reached an important milestone in its capacity-building program, advancing from classroom-based instruction to a fully hands-on phase of training. The program supports national efforts to strengthen climate science capabilities and enhance operational readiness through sustained skills development.

In the first half of the year, CCC concluded the theoretical component of the program. Participants from NCM received training in climate dynamics, numerical weather prediction, sub-seasonal to seasonal forecasting, and climate data analysis. Nearly 200 trainees attended in-person courses held at KAUST and at NCM facilities, where lectures were complemented by discussions and assessments designed to prepare participants for more applied work.

The focus then shifted to practical training during the second half of the year. Four intensive, hands-on courses were delivered at KAUST by experts from leading institutions, covering regional atmospheric modeling, analysis of historical and future climate datasets, land surface processes, and hydrologic modeling for extreme events and flood applications. Participants worked directly with modern modeling and analysis tools, setting up simulations, running experiments, and interpreting results using case studies drawn from real operational contexts

Throughout the program, coordination with NCM helped ensure that the training remained aligned with operational priorities. Participant feedback indicated strong engagement, growing technical confidence, and clear relevance to day-to-day operational work. The continuation of these training activities reflects CCC’s ongoing commitment to building national capacity in climate science and supporting the development of applied climate services in line with Saudi Vision 2030.