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The (little) science of the Arab world

Most Middle Eastern and Northern African countries spend less than 0.3% of GDP on research. But there are signs this may be changing. The Arab League is about to present a strategy for science and technology throughout the region, and recent political revolts may play to the favor of science in the region

DAVID SEGARRA | FEBRUARY 16TH, 2011

The Arab world is at the center of the media spotlight thanks to the popular uprisings that have shaken Tunisia and Egypt and threaten other governments in the region. These are very important countries from the standpoint of international security and natural resources, but which devote little effort to scientific research, a situation underscored by the Unesco Science Report 2010.

This vast region stretches from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean, is home to 246 million people and encompasses 22 countries. Of these, four enjoy a high standard of living (the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain), thirteen have average living standards (from Oman to Morocco, including the entire southern shore of the Mediterranean) while five suffer widespread poverty (Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Comoros and Mauritania), according to World Bank criteria.

Only one of the 100 most cited scientists in the world works in an Arab countryTaken as a whole, the region’s spending on research and development (R+D) is quite low. While the EU-27 spends an average of 1.78% of GDP on R+D, all the Arab states are below 1%, with the exception of Tunisia, which spends 1.02%. Next come Turkey (0.72%) and Morocco (0.64%). Much more modest are the percentages of Jordan (0.34%), Qatar (0.33%), Lebanon (0.30%) and Sudan (0.29%). Egypt spends a scant 0.23%. Finally, other countries (Oman, Algeria, Syria, etc.) do not even reach 0.2%. To compare these figures, Catalonia devotes 1.68% of its GDP to R+D, and Spain as a whole 1.38% (as of 2009), while countries such as Sweden, reach 3.75%.

Research spending in Arab countries is therefore quite low, even in the richest oil states (Qatar’s per capita GDP is $65,000). No wonder, then, that only one of 100 most cited scientists in the world works in an Arab country (Samraoui Boudjema, a professor and biologist at the University of Annaba in Algeria).

The awakening of science in Arab countries

It is difficult for the situation to improve in the short term if we consider that "many Arab countries still lack national strategies on science and technology," reads the UNESCO report, adding that "the science and technology policies that do exist are either too ambitious or too vague."

Despite this overall negative picture, the UNESCO report also noted that Arab countries have begun the process to improve their R+D. And not just at the individual level: the Arab League has taken on the task of developing a science and technology strategy for the whole region, which could be on the agenda at the organization’s next meeting scheduled for March in Baghdad. Among others, this strategy aims to enhance the mobility of scientists in the region and encourage partnerships and collaborations with scientists of Arab descent living abroad.

Oil, a double-edged sword

The Arab world is characterized by the enormous economic, political and even cultural differences between the countries that comprise it. The Sudanese economist Samia Sattar Osman wrote in an article entitled "The incidence and transfer of knowledge in the Arab countries", published by the United Nations University, how an Arab country’s ranking by wealth bears no relation to its ability to create knowledge. "The ability of the richest Arab countries to produce knowledge is behind those countries of medium wealth," he wrote.

But why are the region’s richer countries more reluctant to invest in research? The answer is that the economies of the richest Arab countries are based on oil, while most of its middle-income countries have diversified economies. “Oil wealth is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it has helped Arab countries to strengthen their infrastructures. But on the other hand, the easy money has meant that development based on science and technology has played a very minor role until recently,” according to the Unesco report.

The scientists’ revolt

The path that some Arab countries appear to have taken towards establishing democratic systems may help to strengthen science. At least in the medium term, after stability has been restored. In Egypt, the protests against President Mubarak counted on the active participation of many scholars, according to several media sources, including Nature Middle East. Researchers such as chemist Mahmoud Saleh explained to Nature that "a whole generation of scientists has left for Japan, the U.S. and other countries," and said that the salary of a university professor is around a meager $340 a month.

In Egypt, tour guides earn more than most scientists Michael Harms, director of the Cairo office of the German Academic Exchange Service, explained to Nature that: "there are many problems. Universities are under-funded, and academic salaries are so low that most scientists need a second job to survive. Tour guides earn more than most scientists." The Egyptian chemist Ahmed Zewail, who won the 1999 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, stated that "President Mubarak has the chance to make history and be the first leader of the most important country in the Middle East to cede power to another leader." Many Egyptians see Zewail as a reputable person who can help lead the process of democratization.

At this time, the confusion inherent in the revolt has created a situation of uncertainty. But in the medium term, the democratization of Arab countries can help to strengthen their science and technology. "At the very least it will decrease censorship, and arbitrary and capricious decisions may be replaced by objective ones," said Nidhal Ghassoum, an astrophysicist at the University of Sharjah in the UAE, for whom democracy can help "that research not be evaluated on personal criteria but by a merit system." This is one area, the evaluation of research capacity, where Catalonia could provide expertise.

WATER AND ENERGY
Arab countries have two major research priorities: water and energy. In the case of water, the interest is obvious: almost all the countries in the region are deficient in water resources (with the exceptions of Iraq and Sudan). An interesting example of R+D is the Biosalina International Center for Agriculture located in Dubai, which was established in 1999 to develop sustainable agricultural systems that use salt water to grow crops. Arab countries are also seeking to diversify their energy resources, a decision which has led them to become interested in renewable energies. In this area, the Regional Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency was established in Cairo in 2008. It is a center built jointly by ten Arab countries in cooperation with Germany, the U.S. and Denmark.

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Xavier Lasauca i Cisa 16/02/2011
Molt bon article, David, m'ha agradat molt. Confiem que la construcció de l'Espai Euromediterrani d'Educació Superior i de Recerca, sota el lideratge del secretariat de la Unió per la Mediterrània (que, recordem, està ubicat a Barcelona), contribueixi a aquest canvi de tendència.

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