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.