Oman Campus Calendar: Career Expos and AI Hackathons in Oct 2026

Autumn is the busiest stretch of the Omani academic calendar. Students are back on campus, recruiters are touring lecture halls, and the country's biggest generative AI hackathon is gearing up for a bigger second act. Here is what is confirmed so far for October and November 2026 at universities and colleges across the Sultanate, from Muscat to Sohar.

• Mulhim 2026, Oman's Ooredoo-sponsored generative AI hackathon, returns in October 2026 with an even larger format after drawing 300+ participants from 15 universities in its 2025 edition.
• EduTraC Oman 2026, the 13th edition of the Sultanate's Higher Education, Training and Career Expo, runs October 12-14 at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC).
• The Oman Career Fair follows soon after, on October 21-22 at OCEC, targeting Omani students and jobseekers with 100+ exhibiting companies.
• IEEE PowerTalks 2026 (October 12-14, OCEC) will again host an IEEE Oman Section booth representing student branches from Sultan Qaboos University and other campuses.
• Exact Mulhim 2026 dates and a possible Enterprise AI Expo 2026 student track (November 25-26) had not been finalised at the time of writing; readers should confirm directly with organisers closer to the date.

🤖 AI & Machine Learning Events (October-November 2026)

Mulhim 2026 Generative AI Hackathon

The single biggest AI date on the student calendar this autumn is the second edition of Mulhim, the generative AI hackathon that Ooredoo Oman has sponsored since 2025. According to AI in Oman's earlier coverage, the 2025 edition brought together more than 300 participants organised into 75 teams, with students from 15 universities including Sultan Qaboos University, Oman Medical College and the University of Nizwa competing at Innovation Park Muscat. Ooredoo has since confirmed that Mulhim 2026 is planned as an even bigger hackathon for October 2026, though the exact dates and venue had not been published at the time of writing.

• Host / Organiser: Ooredoo Oman, with past partners including Sultan Qaboos University, the Ministry of Education, Bank Muscat, Oman Air and Petroleum Development Oman (PDO)
• Who can attend: University students, developers, data scientists and early-career AI enthusiasts (25 teams were shortlisted from applicants in the 2025 edition)
• How to register: Watch Ooredoo Oman's official channels and campus IT/computer science departments for the 2026 application window, which typically opens a few weeks before the event
• Venue: Innovation Park Muscat (2025 edition); 2026 venue to be confirmed

Coming in November: Enterprise AI Expo 2026

Students researching or building in the AI space should also flag Enterprise AI Expo 2026, scheduled for November 25-26 at the Sheraton Muscat. The event, previously previewed in AI in Oman's autumn events roundup, expects more than 3,000 attendees and 70+ speakers across enterprise AI, government digital strategy and startup showcase tracks. It is an industry summit rather than a campus event, but its scale and Vision 2040 framing make it a useful add-on for computer science and business students who want exposure to how local employers are actually deploying AI. Contact the organiser, Tazeez Group, directly (contact@tazeezgroup.com) to confirm whether a student or academic pass is available for 2026.

🎓 Career Fairs & Higher Education Expos (October 2026)

EduTraC Oman 2026

The 13th edition of EduTraC Oman, the Sultanate's Higher Education, Training and Career Expo, runs from October 12-14, 2026 at OCEC in Muscat. The fair connects students and course-seekers with local and international universities, training providers and employers, and is organised by Al Nimr International Exhibition Organisers.

• Date: October 12-14, 2026
• Venue: Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre (OCEC), Muscat
• Who can attend: Current university students, school leavers, and course-seekers from Oman and the wider GCC
• How to register: Visitor registration is open at edutracoman.com/visitor-registration; exhibitor enquiries go to info@alnimrexpo.com

Oman Career Fair

Just over a week later, the Oman Career Fair takes over OCEC on October 21-22, 2026, running 9am to 6pm both days. Organised by Tazeez Artificial Intelligence Company alongside The Future Event (TFE), the fair is billed as the Sultanate's premier platform for training and qualifying Omani talent, with more than 100 exhibiting companies, 50+ speakers and 20+ workshops expected.

• Date: October 21-22, 2026, 9am-6pm
• Venue: OCEC, Muscat
• Who can attend: Open to the public, with a focus on Omani students, graduates and jobseekers from both public and private sectors
• Registration: Via omancareerfair.com/en/register
• Contact: +968 7222 2389 / contact@tazeezgroup.com

Both expos land at a moment when Oman's private-sector hiring of Omanis is accelerating faster than in neighbouring markets; as Oman Vision 2040 has reported, Omanis took 17 private-sector jobs for every government job created this year, a ratio that makes career fairs like these more consequential for graduating students than in the past.

⚡ Industry-Academia Conference (October 2026)

IEEE PowerTalks 2026

Not strictly a university event, but relevant for engineering students: the fifth edition of IEEE PowerTalks, hosted by Nama Electricity Distribution, runs October 12-14, 2026 at OCEC under the theme "Powering the Future: Energy Transition Pathways and Grid Resilience in an Increasingly Complex Environment." The event expects 5,000+ participants from 50+ countries, and the IEEE Oman Section will again run a booth representing student branches, including Sultan Qaboos University, to introduce engineering students to IEEE membership, competitions and mentoring.

• Date: October 12-14, 2026
• Venue: OCEC, Muscat
• Who can attend: Open to industry professionals; student branch members can visit the IEEE Oman Section booth free of charge
• More information: ieeepowertalks.com or the IEEE Oman Section

Readers who followed our July campus roundup will recognise the pattern: Oman's university event calendar keeps leaning harder into AI, energy and career-readiness programming each semester, often with the same corporate sponsors (Ooredoo, PDO, Bank Muscat) rotating across hackathons and fairs.

🇴🇲 Why this matters for Oman

None of these events happen in isolation. EduTraC and the Oman Career Fair reflect a broader push under Vision 2040 to close the gap between what universities teach and what employers actually need, particularly as Oman continues to prioritise Omani nationals for private-sector roles. Mulhim, now heading into its second and reportedly larger edition, shows that generative AI has moved from a buzzword to a genuine extracurricular pipeline, with 15 universities already represented in its first year. For students at SQU, GUtech, UTAS, Sohar University and beyond, October and November 2026 offer a rare concentration of hands-on AI competitions and direct access to recruiters, exactly the kind of practical exposure Oman's diversification strategy depends on producing at scale.