SRO

Scientific Research Outlook 2006

SRO IV Focal Points of the conference

First Scope: Harvesting the outcomes Science& Technology (S&T) performance of Arab countries to serve the sustainable development of the Arab countries:

  • Facilities and tools in utilizing scientific innovation for the benefit of the population. 
  • Performance in science, and development in social and economic aspects. 
  • Reasons behind the failure in delivering outcomes from scientific performance in Arab countries, as compared to other countries. 
  • Arab achievements in S&T. 
  • Indicators of progress in S&T.

Second Scope: Arab science community and the economics of scientific research:

1-The role of scientific and virtual networks in research and development. 

  • Pan Arab cooperation in research and development. 
  • Arab-international cooperation in research and development. The role of integrated research and technology in social and economic development in the Arab World. 
  • Leveraging the expertise of Arab scientists abroad to change the "Brain Drain" into "Brain Gain" for the sake of accelerating the process of development in the Arab world. 
  • Women and their role as active members of the Arab science community. 
  • Arab media and their role in creating channels of communication between the science community and other sectors of the society.

2- The economics of scientific research

  • Economic returns on Research & Development (R&D). 
  • New approaches for investing in technology (e.g., licensing technology). 
  • Universities and commercializing the outcomes of Arab research. 
  • Techno-entrepreneurship and its role in sustainable development. 
  • Obstacles facing transfer and ownership of technology; and the gap between investors and producers of technology.

Third Scope: Priorities of scientific research in the Arab World, and specialized domains in science:

1-Priorities of scientific research in the Arab World:

  • Collaborative Research projects conducted by Arab research groups: policies, experience, and obstacles facing its widespread practice. 
  • Programs supporting scientific research in the Arab World: funds and systems. Virtual research centers: a step towards increased Arab research interaction.

2-The scientific areas of priority:

  • Energy and Water 
  • Information and Communication Technology 
  • Biotechnologies 
  • New Materials

3-Specialized scientific fields: 

  • Medicine 
  • Engineering 
  • Agriculture Basic Sciences

SRO IV Objectives

The conference aims to:

  • Enhance the role of scientific research and technology development to bridge the digital divide, one of the main hurdles facing sustainable development in the Arab world. 
  • Assess the performance of the Arab scientific community, and diagnose its weaknesses with the aim of finding solutions to bring about an upheaval in performance. 
  • Encourage investing in Science &Technology (S&T), and creating links between the sectors of investors and of scientific research in the Arab world. 
  • Harness specialized scientific performance of Arab scientists and researchers in those areas defined as top priority for research in the Arab world; and identify those outstanding experiences for their further development to draw scientific and practical benefits thereof.